A Little Mix concert turned into ‘chaos’ after thousands of fans tried to leave at the same time and were stuck in the car park for two hours.
Around 20,000 people travelled to the South of England Event Centre, in Ardingly, West Sussex, on Friday night to watch the band perform at the Little Mix Summer Shout Out.
But the fans – some as young as four – were left ‘shattered’ after a huge traffic jam in the car park which took hours to clear.
One mother who took her children to the gig said people grew so impatient that rows broke out and drivers began ‘squaring up’ to one another.
A Little Mix concert turned into ‘chaos’ after fans were left stranded in their cars for two hours. Pictured, fans at the venue at South of England Event Centre, in Ardingly, West Sussex
Fans – some as young as four – were left ‘shattered’ after a huge traffic jam in the car park after the concert ended which took hours to clear
Many of those in the audience only ended up leaving the venue after midnight due to the chaos.
Gemma Pleasance said the all-girl band came on stage just after 9pm and performed for about 50 minutes – less than half the time it took them to leave.
The organisers did not say what time the band were due to perform but the gates to the event opened at 5pm, with Ella Eyre and Germein Sisters performing before Little Mix.
Miss Pleasance said: ‘Me, my eight-year-old child, Jaime, and her friend, were stuck in the field being used as a car park for two hours.
‘We had no food, no water, and we couldn’t buy anything because it was cash only at the event – which wasn’t advertised on the website.
‘People were becoming so irate that they were getting out of their cars and squaring up to each other.’
Miss Pleasance also claimed there was ‘severe organisation problems’, claiming there was ‘no marshalling, no organised queues and no one in high-visibility clothing.’
She said: ‘My daughter was absolutely shattered and I couldn’t do anything about it.
‘Little Mix weren’t on until late, we got to 8:30pm and my friends little five-year-old girl couldn’t stand up, she was lying on the ground saying she was bored.’
One mother who took her children to the gig said people grew so impatient that rows broke out and drivers began ‘squaring up’ to one another
One villager, who did not want to be named, said: ‘The whole of the village was gridlocked.
‘There was a huge amount of anger and frustration and it seemed that they couldn’t cope with the situation.’
Many concert-goers also parked on verges and pavements in the village, rather than paying for a £10 showground parking fee, which meant organisers could not open one of the exits.
One frustrated concertgoer tweeted: ‘Absolutely terrible. Thousands of people with young children stranded for nearly 2 hours with no one in charge. Totally ruined concert.’
Another tweeted to Sussex Police: ‘anyone dealing with the traffic at ardingly tonight, thousands of cars stuck in car park. no cars moved for 1 hour. Help.’
A statement on the SEEC’s Facebook page said: ‘We are sorry that many visitors to the Little Mix concert were so delayed leaving the Showground after a superb concert.
The all-girl band performed on Friday in front of 20,000 people at the Little Mix Summer Shout Out
Concertgoers complained that the gig was a ‘rip off’ because Little Mix had performed for such a short amount of time
‘The South of England Event Centre was responsible for car parking and despite some long delays, the car park was cleared within the two-hour period that we had expected.
‘There were just over 3,000 cars parked in South Car Park, and we were clearing 25 per minute.
‘The traffic lights at the South Gate may have contributed to some delays and we will review whether it would have been better to switch them off. However, we also have to consider health & safety issues.
‘Unfortunately, we were unable to open the third exit gate from the Showground due to the large number of cars parked on the lane.
‘Understandably, people who have attended other shows at the venue may have had an expectation of being able to exit more quickly, but at a pop concert, everyone leaves at the same time which will naturally cause longer departure times.
‘We regret that the exit experience marred the enjoyment of the evening for some visitors and will, of course, reflect on and review our plans and the promoters processes for any future events.’