Boardmasters 2026: the roads that shut and the way round Newquay

If you live near Newquay or plan to drive through it in the first full week of August, the Boardmasters 2026 Traffic Plan is worth reading before you set off. The festival runs from 5 to 10 August, and organisers have published a day by day breakdown of road closures, a one-way system and the diversions that come with keeping tens of thousands of people moving in and out of the site above Watergate Bay.

The stated aim is simple. Keeping traffic flowing is the main objective of the plan, and organisers say they have carried over two actions from 2025 to do it: investment in a larger traffic management provision, and a one-way system running through the festival site and around Newquay on key arrival days.

Watergate Road closes under an anti-terrorism order

The headline closure affects Alexandra Road and Watergate Road, the B3276. Both will be closed under the powers of an ATTRO, an Anti Terrorism Traffic Regulation Order, for crowd safety purposes.

The closure runs from Porth, at the junction of Alexandra Road and Lewarne Road, through to the junction of Watergate Bay and Trevarrian Hill. It applies across all six days, with the hours shifting after the first morning:

Wednesday 5 August, 06:00 to 03:00. Thursday 6 August, 10:00 to 03:00. Friday 7 August, 10:00 to 03:00. Saturday 8 August, 10:00 to 03:00. Sunday 9 August, 10:00 to 03:00. Monday 10 August, 03:00 to 14:00.

Organisers note the Monday closure may be released earlier if possible, based on traffic flow around the area.

The one-way system, and the left turns you can’t make

On key days a one-way system operates around Newquay. The core restriction stops vehicles turning left out of Priory Road and Rialton Road onto the A3059 heading towards the festival. Instead, drivers are sent on a diversion via Nansledan Roundabout to Quintrell Downs Roundabout and Halloon Roundabout.

For anyone heading from the west of the site, meaning Newquay town, to the east, meaning Newquay Airport, the signed route follows that loop: Nansledan Roundabout down to Quintrell Downs, across to Halloon Roundabout at Trevarren, up to Trekenning Roundabout, then down the A3059 to the Carnanton Woods right turn, as drivers normally would, to reach the airport. Travelling the other way, east to west, is more straightforward. You can use the A3059 back to Nansledan Roundabout throughout.

When the restrictions actually apply

The one-way system does not run around the clock, and the pattern changes as the week goes on. This is where it pays to check the specific day.

Wednesday 5 August

No restrictions before 06:00, so normal routes apply. From 06:00 to midnight the west to east one-way system is in place via the Nansledan to Carnanton Woods loop.

Thursday 6 August

The one-way system runs from midnight to 03:00. Then there are no restrictions from 03:00 to 10:00 and normal routes apply. From 10:00 to midnight the one-way system returns.

Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August

The same shape both days. One-way from midnight to 03:00, no restrictions from 03:00 to 10:00, and after 10:00 westbound drivers heading east can continue along the A3059 to the left turn at Carnanton Woods.

Sunday 9 August

One-way from midnight to 03:00, no restrictions from 03:00 to 10:00, then from 10:00 to 18:00 drivers heading east can travel from Nansledan along the A3059 to the left turn at Carnanton Woods. From 18:00 to midnight the full one-way loop is back in place.

Monday 10 August

One-way from midnight to 03:00. From 03:00 to 08:00 eastbound traffic can travel from Nansledan along the A3059 to the left turn at Carnanton Woods. From 08:00 to 14:00 the one-way loop returns. At 14:00 the Traffic Management Plan is lifted.

What it means if you live there

The plan draws a clear line between festival traffic and everyone else. On the Local Traffic map, roads marked in yellow are open to residents, businesses and local access as usual, with no pass required. The hard road closure, marked in red, covers the stretch of the B3276 running up past the Boardmasters event site between Tregurrian and Porth.

Local access points sit around St Columb Minor, Rialton Road, Quintrell Downs and Nansledan, with the wider loop taking festival vehicles out towards Trebarber and the A3059. The festival access route itself runs as a purple one-way arrow line on the organisers’ map, sweeping east past Newquay Airport and RAF St Mawgan and out towards Carnanton before looping back.

For a full week in August, the difference between a clear run and a long sit in queues around Newquay comes down to knowing which hour you are travelling in, and which way you are pointed.