What you need to know about parking & transportation for South Star Music Festival

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — In three weeks, thousands of music lovers will arrive in the Rocket City for South Star Music Festival.

The two-day festival on September 28 and 29 will be unlike any other music event in Huntsville ever before, and some News 19 viewers have shared their concerns about parking and traffic leading up to the event.

News 19 has done some digging, so you can make a game plan for the event.

Where the festival is happening: John Hunt Park Festival Grounds

South Star will be held at the Festival Grounds at John Hunt Park. According to the South Star website, there will only be one entrance. You can plan to enter near the roundabout at Philip Dotts Drive and Jaycee Way, near Joe Davis Stadium.

Closest parking: Joe Davis Stadium

The closest parking for the event will be the parking lots surrounding Joe Davis Stadium located at 3125 Don Mincher Dr. SW, Huntsville, AL 35801.

This parking area is pre-paid parking only. South Star is selling pre-paid parking passes for $50 for one day or $85 for both days. According to the South Star website, you will only be able to enter and exit once per day, and no overnight parking will be permitted.

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Free parking options

There are a few free parking options for the music festival. South Star says attendees can park on a first-come, first-serve basis at Milton Frank Stadium and the Huntsville Aquatic Center.

Both parking lots are about a two-mile walk from the festival grounds, so comfortable walking shoes are encouraged.

Public transportation options

The closest public transit option for the festival is the Huntsville Orbit Bus stop at Hardees/Academy Sports on the Brahan Spring Route. The bus stop is at the corner of Drake Avenue and Leeman Ferry Road, about a mile walk from the festival grounds.

According to the Huntsville Orbit bus schedule , this route runs every 30 minutes. South Star says this route will run for an extra hour after the festival wraps up each evening.

A one-way fare on an Orbit bus is $1.

News 19 reached out to the City of Huntsville to see if the Orbit busses would be used to provide shuttle services from any parking areas throughout the city.

A spokesperson for the City sent us a statement saying:

“As of right now, we do not have any parking to festival dedicated shuttles. We have shared with the C3 team our existing routes that are closest to parking and agreed to run service later in the evening Saturday and on Sunday to accommodate the festival.”

Ride share dropoff/pickup

The designated ride-share dropoff and pickup location is at Joe Davis Stadium. People who are being dropped off/picked up by family members or friends are also encouraged to use the ride-share area.

Festival details

The festival is happening Saturday, September 28th and Sunday, September 29th, 2024 in Huntsville, Alabama. The festival is expected to run from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. each night.

The lineup includes headliners Gwen Stefani and Blink-182, as well as dozens of other well-known acts.

Click here to view more parking information provided by South Star.

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