PREPARATIONS are well advanced for Saturday’s big music festival in Huddersfield's Greenhead Park.

And organisers are hopeful that their efforts to stage the huge gig by Mumford & Sons will go down well with families who use the busy park and residents in the area.

Access to the park will be restricted on Saturday, but Kirklees Council staff hope their “softly softly” approach will be accepted.

People without tickets will be able to use the park into the afternoon but will then be asked to leave.

Concert promoters have already started erecting fencing around the main grassed arena in the park and the stage will be going up over the next 24 hours. Thousands of fans are expected.

A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “Greenhead Park will be open as usual this week during the promoter’s preparations for Saturday’s concert, and up until 12pm on Saturday itself.

“On the advice of the police, the fire authority and event safety professionals, only people with a concert ticket will be able to enter the park after 12pm.

“All non-ticket holders must leave the park before the concert begins at 4pm.

“The park will re-open as usual on Sunday morning, though access to some areas of the main field may still be restricted while equipment is dismantled safely.

“Commercial concerts in parks are fairly common in larger cities, but this is the first time one of our parks has been chosen.

“We’re keen to make sure that Huddersfield feels the economic benefit of attracting concert-goers from all over the country.

“We understand that there’s now not a hotel bedroom to be had in town this weekend and that our bars and restaurants are preparing for what we all hope will be a busy trading weekend.

The festival has been organised by Mumford & Sons themselves and has been billed as Gentlemen of the Road Stopover.

Support acts to the folk-rock giants include Michael Kiwanuka, Willy Mason, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Correspondents.