With the Palm Tree Music Festival set to rock the Shinnecock Indian Nation territory on Saturday, the Suffolk County Police Department released a statement on Friday strongly urging drivers to avoid Montauk Highway and County Road 39 in the vicinity of Shinnecock and the Stony Brook Southampton College while the festival is taking place.
"Significant traffic delays and road congestion are expected" between 1 p.m. and midnight Saturday, the Police Department said.
Parking will be temporarily suspended in local neighborhood side streets in that region, and festival-goers have been asked to use the Long Island Rail Road, where buses to the festival will be available, as well as "shuttles provided by the event or ride-shares to the designated pick-up/drop-off points only" on the college campus.
Around 10,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which for three years prior had been held at Francis Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach. The Federal Aviation Administration denied a permit for it to take place there again this year.
"The Southampton Town police will be assisting with traffic control at key intersections and doing everything to help mitigate the anticipated traffic congestion," Suffolk police said.