Hyde Park BST concerts - advice please

woodyt

Hi,
I'm thinking about getting tickets (seems to be quite a few for sale online) for Stevie Wonder next Sunday however I've never been to a concert like this before so after some advice.
What time do people get there,? I think the first act is 1pm.
It says you can only take water in with you, any ideas for 'cheaper' food and drink options when you are in there.
Also, it says you can take a picnic rug, Will this be 'ambushed ' the nearer it gets to the headline act???
As you can probably tell I'm a complete newbie to this so any help will be greatly received.
Many thanks
Woody

needaholiday

I went to see Massive Attack Friday. Had never been to Hyde Park before. As the weather was a bit iffy we chose to go in around 5 o clock. Depends if you want your moneys worth and want to see all of the acts I guess. We had food first at the Swan on Bayswater Road which was not too far from the parks entrance. You can sign up on The Swan's website for a free drink too (I forgot to take my voucher though!!). Gates opened at 2 p.m Friday but my be different for the Stevie concert. They glanced in our bags as we went in but didn't touch or move anything anything so I think we could have got away with taking food and drink in. If you are wanting to take alcohol vodka looks like water. Hint hint!! We sat on the ground on our poncho's between bands and when we stood up we left our ponchos,bags and drinks on the floor just in front of us. Had to watch when people walked past but wasn't a problem. If you go enjoy!!!

susancs

woodyt wrote: »

Hi,
I'm thinking about getting tickets (seems to be quite a few for sale online) for Stevie Wonder next Sunday however I've never been to a concert like this before so after some advice.
What time do people get there,? I think the first act is 1pm.
It says you can only take water in with you, any ideas for 'cheaper' food and drink options when you are in there.
Also, it says you can take a picnic rug, Will this be 'ambushed ' the nearer it gets to the headline act???
As you can probably tell I'm a complete newbie to this so any help will be greatly received.
Many thanks
Woody

I would advise taking a disposable festival poncho with you in case of rain (you can often get them online on ebay or from the pound shop). I have taken a picnic blanket to Hyde Park before but you usually won't be up the front area with it. Having said that they have big screens there. Security can be a unpredictable, as a couple of times at Hyde Park events they took snack items off us and half drunk bottles of water plus did see discarded packs of beer near the entrance (plus lots of people sitting drinking their alcohol and food before entering the area), but other times barely glanced in the bags. A friend of mine had forgotten that she had her bottle of perfume in her bag and had that taken off her and had to find the security guard to collect it on the way out.

paddyrg

Cheap eats - well, fast at least, McD's is just at Marble Arch, also open after the shows and the queues subside within an hour. You can pay hotel prices for a burger/etc (£12-13ish) at the Cumberland Hotel also on Marble Arch. There's nothing to eat on Park Lane. There's a cafe by the compound production entrance right on the Serpentine, another at Hyde Park Corner, or go further South out of the park and you'll find Knightsbridge - not massively cheap or convenient.

There's lots to do in the compound if you don't care for the support acts - but it all costs money.

mr_middleage

Hi, if I may be so bold as to clamber aboard this thread ..
I am also a newbie to these things and am going to see Stevie.
Does anyone have any idea what time he comes on?
I can't really do 1pm till 9pm or later as we have little kids I need to help with , so I wanted to know what sort of time to get there for and how long it takes to get in.

Thanks