This year’s Meraki Festival will soon be returning to the Herts County Showground for a weekend of sun, music, activities and festival fun.

However, for attendees living anywhere apart from neighbouring Redbourn, for whom the showground is within walking distance, getting to the venue or parking without planning ahead might be a nuisance.

So we’ve decided to put together a handy guide to make sure you can focus on not getting sunburnt and having a great time on August 10-12.

Car travel

For those travelling by car, the showground is located just 300 metres from Junction 9 of the M1 on the B5183, and the postcode for satnavs is AL3 7PT. The venue is signposted from the motorway, all you have to do is follow the road from the motorway exit.

If approaching from the Harpenden/Redbourn roundabout as many drivers from the St Albans area and beyond will be, take the turning onto the A5183 and follow it until you reach the showground.

Passes for car parking must be booked in advance and displayed in your car window at the venue. One day parking tickets cost £5 and three day and five day campers tickets cost £10. Expect tickets to arrive prior to the festival opening and check the ticket to confirm which gate you should arrive at. Book tickets on the Meraki website at merakifestival.com

Bus travel

In terms of normal bus routes, the 34 can be boarded from St Albans station and runs through to Dunstable, stopping at Redbourn High Street, but this is an hourly service which does not operate on Sundays, so will not cover the last day of Meraki.

The 46, running from Hemel Hempstead to Luton, has a similar hourly service and the 307 Red Eagle bus from Harpenden to Redbourn only runs three times during the mid-morning and afternoon with, again, no service on Sunday.

The Meraki Festival, however, is running its own buses, with two routes, picking up at St Albans and Harpenden stations respectively. These buses will start at 9:30am and travel directly to the venue. They will run throughout the day until half past midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11pm on Sunday.

Buying tickets in advance is recommended, costing £5 for a single day return and £10 for an unlimited week pass, price is double if bought on the day. Under 18s do ride free but will still need to book a ticket in advance for passenger numbers and safety reasons.

Train travel

The stations closest to the venue are the Harpenden and St Albans City stations, with Thameslink connections to St Pancras. Bus connections are available from both towns to Redbourn but the Meraki Festival team recommends taking the Festival bus, which will insure quick connections to and from the venue at all times of the day.

Happy travelling!