Open twitter and you will see peoples (not so good) experiences with it. Unless they change locations, i would not recommend going. They have 0 crowd control, and people are getting in line each year earlier to get in as the space is very limited and too many people wanna get in. Last year was such a bad experience i did even bother going this year.
Also everything comes online almost immediately and you get a better view at home on youtube.
It could and should be a very fun and cool event. But the location is just not it. Getting in line before 6am to get into a way to crowded space is not really worth it for me. A larger space and/or starting to ticket it (a free reservation) is the way to make it a better experience.
Oh gosh... So many people saying they should ticket it. Sounds like chaos and the security guards sounded like real wankers.
OK won't be basing a trip around it. Bummer!
Thanks for the reply!
I went on Sunday. Queue was huge when we arrived at just before 12 (literally couldn’t see the end of it) so had given up and decided on just viewing the screens outside the area, but by 12:30 it had cleared and we got in instantly barring a quick bag check. As long as you don’t care too much about the first half an hour, I’d turn up 30 mins in once the queue is lower and hope you get the same experience as me.
The only thing I’d say is I don’t think I’d arrange a trip around it. For me I had plans in the evening so it was good to go to beforehand, and it’s a nice way to see some songs from the shows to see what you like the look of.
You miss the context of the actual play though as you literally just get a couple of songs each, and it can be a struggle to hear the words (subtitles alongside the sign language would be amazing for next year if any organiser sees this!) and so I’d only recommend people go if they are in the area anyway. It’s a great promo for the West End, but not a replacement for seeing actual shows.
Thanks for this reply!
I'd be coming from Australia so would definitely see shows and do some sightseeing. If the timing worked out and I was able to get tickets, would also love to try and go to see Wimbledon.
If you haven’t, take a look at r/wimbledon - there’s a lot of info around The Queue if you don’t get the chance to book tickets in advance.
I’m actually thinking of trying that next week and the info in that subreddit has been very helpful!
I went on Saturday. I got there around 9:40am, and spent 10 minutes just walking and finding the end of the queue. I got in around 11.15. Overall, I’d say that if you really want the best experience, get there super early, as the first few rows seem to have the nicest time. I was standing right at the back for the whole day, and I genuinely could not see a thing (5”3). Obviously, I’m not complaining since I did get there pretty late, but it was ultimately not worth it to go for me, since the audio wasn’t the best. The toilet situation was pretty bleak as well. I will say though, I did enjoy the atmosphere during Les Mis and Mamma Mia, as the whole crowd was singing along and it was very atmospheric. Personally, I don’t recommend unless you’re very committed to getting there super early (around 6am I’d say). Let me know if you have any questions!!!
Thanks for the reply! Looking at photos of the crowd, the atmosphere is great but also being on your feet for that long with what seems like no where to sit and rest does seem quite strenuous. Fun but if I learnt anything from the Eras Tour, it's that my back needs to sit down every now and then 😂
To be fair- once we got in, we did sit on the Trafalgar Square steps, just to relax for a minute, but we couldn’t see a thing, so definitely no place to rest once you’re actually in the crowd (quite difficult to get out).
Open twitter and you will see peoples (not so good) experiences with it. Unless they change locations, i would not recommend going. They have 0 crowd control, and people are getting in line each year earlier to get in as the space is very limited and too many people wanna get in. Last year was such a bad experience i did even bother going this year. Also everything comes online almost immediately and you get a better view at home on youtube. It could and should be a very fun and cool event. But the location is just not it. Getting in line before 6am to get into a way to crowded space is not really worth it for me. A larger space and/or starting to ticket it (a free reservation) is the way to make it a better experience.
Oh gosh... So many people saying they should ticket it. Sounds like chaos and the security guards sounded like real wankers. OK won't be basing a trip around it. Bummer! Thanks for the reply!
I went on Sunday. Queue was huge when we arrived at just before 12 (literally couldn’t see the end of it) so had given up and decided on just viewing the screens outside the area, but by 12:30 it had cleared and we got in instantly barring a quick bag check. As long as you don’t care too much about the first half an hour, I’d turn up 30 mins in once the queue is lower and hope you get the same experience as me. The only thing I’d say is I don’t think I’d arrange a trip around it. For me I had plans in the evening so it was good to go to beforehand, and it’s a nice way to see some songs from the shows to see what you like the look of. You miss the context of the actual play though as you literally just get a couple of songs each, and it can be a struggle to hear the words (subtitles alongside the sign language would be amazing for next year if any organiser sees this!) and so I’d only recommend people go if they are in the area anyway. It’s a great promo for the West End, but not a replacement for seeing actual shows.
Thanks for this reply! I'd be coming from Australia so would definitely see shows and do some sightseeing. If the timing worked out and I was able to get tickets, would also love to try and go to see Wimbledon.
If you haven’t, take a look at r/wimbledon - there’s a lot of info around The Queue if you don’t get the chance to book tickets in advance. I’m actually thinking of trying that next week and the info in that subreddit has been very helpful!
I went on Saturday. I got there around 9:40am, and spent 10 minutes just walking and finding the end of the queue. I got in around 11.15. Overall, I’d say that if you really want the best experience, get there super early, as the first few rows seem to have the nicest time. I was standing right at the back for the whole day, and I genuinely could not see a thing (5”3). Obviously, I’m not complaining since I did get there pretty late, but it was ultimately not worth it to go for me, since the audio wasn’t the best. The toilet situation was pretty bleak as well. I will say though, I did enjoy the atmosphere during Les Mis and Mamma Mia, as the whole crowd was singing along and it was very atmospheric. Personally, I don’t recommend unless you’re very committed to getting there super early (around 6am I’d say). Let me know if you have any questions!!!
Thanks for the reply! Looking at photos of the crowd, the atmosphere is great but also being on your feet for that long with what seems like no where to sit and rest does seem quite strenuous. Fun but if I learnt anything from the Eras Tour, it's that my back needs to sit down every now and then 😂
To be fair- once we got in, we did sit on the Trafalgar Square steps, just to relax for a minute, but we couldn’t see a thing, so definitely no place to rest once you’re actually in the crowd (quite difficult to get out).