Travel and Venue Information


The NEC is located in the heart of England and is very easy to access by road, rail and air.

Book using the NEC plus and receive a number of different perks with your trip to The Festival of Quilts, including 20% off selected Avanti West Coast advanced fares* to the event, up to 15% off Avis van or car hire, pre-paid parking includes exclusive food & drink vouchers and helpful information on the venue.

For more information click here

The NEC
Halls 6, 7, 8 & 9
North Ave,
Marston Green,
Birmingham,
B40 1NT

By Car

Visitors from any direction can travel to the NEC directly using the following motorways – M1, M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40 and M42.
The postcode for your SATNAV is B40 1NT.

Parking

The NEC has 16,500 car park spaces available. Once you’ve parked you can either take a free shuttle bus or walk to the halls 7, 8 and 9 using our sign posted footpaths. Please note that the North car parks are likely to be the ones used for The Festival of Quilts, all car parks are signposted.

Please note the NEC have recently increased their parking fees, so we strongly advice you book your space in advance.

The advance parking prices is £12.85 and visitor express parking is £21.50.

Visit www.thenec.co.uk/visitors/parking for more information and to book.

Prices are subject to change. Please check with venue directly on 0121 780 4141. NB. Disabled parking at the NEC is £16.00 per day. Pre paid Disabled parking costs £12.00 per day. Book online up to 23:59 the day before your show to save.

Gold VIPs will be able to park at North 1b (and overflow to N1). 

By Rail

The NEC a five minute (covered) walk from the adjacent Birmingham International rail station. Avanti West Coast run frequent, direct services from London and the North.

London Northwestern Railway also run services to the NEC from London, the Midlands and the North West. Visit www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk  to book train tickets for any national rail journey with no booking fees

Many services run direct to Birmingham International. If yours doesn’t, you can catch a connecting train at Birmingham New Street. There are regular services, and the journey only takes 10-15 minutes. Buses to the NEC can be caught at Birmingham Moor Street and Solihull stations. For further information call National Rail enquiries on 08457 484950 or visit the National Rail website.

Book Virgin Train Tickets.

London Midland runs frequent services to the NEC from London, the Midlands and the North West. Visit www.londonmidland.com to book train tickets for any national rail journey – there’s no fees and their ‘cheapest fare finder’ will help you get the best deal.

Many services run direct to Birmingham International. If yours doesn’t, you can catch a connecting train at Birmingham New Street. There are regular services, and the journey only takes 10-15 minutes. Buses to the NEC can be caught at Birmingham Moor Street and Solihull stations. For further information call National Rail enquiries on 08457 484950 or visit the National Rail website.

By Coach

Click here to see the list of local coach companies that we know that are organising a trip to The Festival of Quilts.

To book your ticket, contact the coach company listed. Remember that most coach companies include the ticket within the price they charge.

Other coach services are operated by National Express and Megabus, with over 120 daily services from across the UK to Birmingham Airport. From there you can get to the NEC in minutes on the free air-rail link.

Regular local buses depart from Birmingham City Centre. The 900 service runs every 15 mins during the day taking approximately 30 mins. The 97 service operates every 30 mins, 24hrs a day taking approximately 45 mins.

Local bus services also run every 30 mins throughout the day to Solihull (service 966) and Coventry (service 900). For more information please visit the National Express or the Network West Midlands websites.

View our coach providers or if you’re a coach company who would like to offer your services, please click below to be added to our Coach list.

See coach providers

By Air

The NEC is just minutes away from Birmingham Airport (BHX) – which is very handy for international visitors and those on UK internal flights!

From the airport, simply take the free and fast Air-Rail Link to Birmingham International railway station and then it’s just a short walk to our entrance. The Air-Rail Link runs every 2 minutes and takes just 90 seconds to reach the NEC. It leaves the airport from the upper level of Terminal 1, and operates daily between 5:15am and 2am.

By Shuttle Bus

We run a free shuttle bus on a loop throughout show opening hours (we also have a late shuttle bus on Friday and Saturday evening until 8.15pm for visitors who are taking part in Twilight workshops).

The shuttle bus picks up from:
– the front gate of the NEC (next to the Premier Inn)
– The Moxy
– The Genting (next to the Nike store)
The shuttle drops of outside Atrium 2, opposite Hall 8.

*Must be booked 3 days in advance. Up to 20% off Avanti West Coast – price varies on time of travel and train line.

Travel with Virgin Trains​ the official travel partner of the NEC and get 20% your train fare. This discount is exclusive to customers attending events at the NEC. Simply book your journey to the NEC using the link below and a 20% discount will be automatically applied to your booking. Read the full terms and conditions here.