We are incredibly excited about the spectacular line-up of attractions we have ready for you this August Bank Holiday. However, before we welcome you back to Onslow Park, we want to address something very important: the traffic.
We have been reading your feedback regarding the delays getting into, and particularly exiting, the Rally last year. We know that some of you sat in queues for far too long, and we completely agree that it was incredibly frustrating. We hear you, and we are taking action.
As many of you know, the Shrewsbury Steam Rally is organised entirely by a not-for-profit Society, relying heavily on volunteers. Historically, some of our younger volunteers helped marshal the car parks. Sadly, due to unacceptable behaviour from a small minority of frustrated motorists, we made the necessary decision to remove our young volunteers from this duty. Their well-being is our absolute priority, and we will not expose them to that environment.
What happened last year?
While Sunday’s gridlock was heavily compounded by a police road closure following a road traffic accident a few miles away, we recognise that our own car park systems then struggled to handle the volume of vehicles once that external backlog cleared.
Our Solution for 2026
To protect our team and improve your experience, the Society has made a significant financial investment to overhaul our traffic management. Furthermore, as a thank you for your patience and continued support, we are absorbing these costs entirely and have frozen all admission ticket prices for 2026.
The Two-Team Approach
This year, we have hired an additional, entirely separate professional traffic management company.
- External Traffic: One dedicated professional team will focus 100% on the external public roads, keeping the approaches to Onslow Park moving as smoothly as possible.
- Internal Car Parks: A second, newly appointed professional team will be dedicated strictly to the car parking. Their sole responsibility is to ensure cars are parked efficiently and, most importantly, fed back out onto the roads safely at the end of the day to help prevent internal bottlenecks.
Revised Opening Times
To decompress the morning rush and help keep vehicles flowing smoothly onto the rally ground, we have updated our opening times:
- 8:30 AM – ‘Steam Ahead’ Early Access: Beat the queues! Visitors with advance ‘Steam Ahead’ tickets can access the showground early.
- 9:00 AM – General Admission: Gates open for standard on-the-day ticket purchases.
- 4:00 PM – Last Admission: The final entry to the rally ground for all visitors.
Winding Down & Heading Home
We want your departure to be as relaxed as possible, so we’re no longer enforcing a strict car park closing time. However, please bear in mind that the rally is proudly organised and run entirely by our incredible team of volunteers. As the main exhibits, trade stands, and arena displays naturally wind down in the late afternoon, we kindly ask visitors to begin making their way home so our hardworking team can finally get a well-deserved rest!
Please note that our friendly security team will be manning the gates into the evening to ensure a safe site for our exhibitors and volunteers staying onsite. After our last admission at 4:00 PM, there will be no late entries or re-admissions for day visitors.
Setting Realistic Expectations
We want to be completely transparent. Bringing thousands of visitors to a rural location means there will always be some queuing. Country roads have physical limits. However, with two professional companies working in tandem, our goal is to keep everyone moving steadily and safely.
Your advance ticket purchases are what allow our society to make these necessary infrastructure investments and keep this fantastic heritage event alive. We thank you for your continued support, your patience, and your understanding.
We look forward to welcoming you for a brilliant weekend this August!