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A Newbies Guide to the Wimbledon Queue

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New to the Wimbledon queue? Here’s some info on what to expect.

June 2015 Update: This information was provided in 2012 and may have changed since. For information about the 2015 Wimbledon queue, arrival times etc, I suggest tweeting @ViewfromtheQ 

To the queue

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I thought I would need to queue for Wimbledon tickets at least once during the Wimby leg of the fan slam but I’ve managed to get tickets online and from a friend, so haven’t needed to queue.

However as the queue is a key part of the Wimbledon experience I wanted to include info about it, so big thanks go to experienced queuer @jackaleelee who provided most of this info and also to @mojobackhand for the pic of her queue card.

Getting to the queue

However you arrive you’ll need to head for Wimbledon Park Road where it crosses with Woodspring Road just before Church Lane.

The closest tube station is Southfields which is a 10 minute walk. Also pretty close is Wimbledon Park tube station and you can take a short cut through Wimbledon Park and arrive at the bottom of the field where the queue is located. Its a 10 minute walk as well but the Park gates don’t open until 6am, so not an option if you’re heading for the queue earlier than that.

Arrival Time and Ticket Options

If you want to be in with a chance for tickets for a show court you do have to get there early, and I mean early. There are 500 tickets each for Centre Court and Courts 1 & 2; for Centre Court you may need to queue overnight and camp, but getting there at 5am or earlier I’ve always managed to get tickets for either Courts 1 or 2. And Court 2 is often witness to some of the best matches/players in the first week; I’ve never had a bad day on there.

Getting a court ticket is especially brilliant as you’ll have a guaranteed seat for the day which is always welcome if you’ve queued from 5am.

A Ground Pass will mean you’ll see great tennis but it also means queueing again once in the grounds for an unreserved seat on one of the outside courts.

The first section of the queue is on a field and if you do get there early you’ll be there until 6-6.30am before the queue starts moving.

When you arrive at the end of the queue you’ll be issued with a Queue Card and also a booklet of tips and do’s and don’ts.

Wimbledon queue card

Useful Tips

  • Buying tickets in the queue is cash only so make sure you have enough money to pay for the tickets you hope to get. Although if you do forget to bring cash a Steward can escort you to an ATM.
  • Bring a book or magazine to read to help you pass the time.
  • The ground will be wet and dewy so either take a large piece of plastic, a bin bag or one of those fold up rugs with the plastic backing as you’ll want to sit down.
  • Try not to take anything with you that you can’t discard as the day goes on. Tupperware is all very well but who wants to have a bag full of empty containers to carry home?
  • Same with a flask of coffee, there are vans on the field selling drinks and hot snacks and the quality is fairly decent, although the prices are a little high. Same with the refreshments in the grounds, so take some things with you so you want to save some money.
  • If the weather is hot you’ll need plenty of water, but in the last couple of years there have been water fountains popping up so you can refill your water bottle at no extra cost.
  • Also for sale to queuers are the newspapers with Wimbledon style freebies, thats where we obtained our plastic backed rug! and the papers will have the order of play so you can decide which matches you want to see.
  • There’s also a pretty good mobile phone reception in the area so you can also check out websites and twitter for information.
  • For those who have camped overnight, the Wimbledon Stewards will start waking you at 6am to clear up.
  • There are portacabins with decent and clean toilet facilities and anytime from 6 you’ll see people traipsing across in their pyjamas to clean their teeth and freshen up.
  • For the queuer and not the camper, the most entertaining part of this is the dismantling of tents and repacking, especially the circular “fold up in a bag” tents; they’re not a simple as they look.
  • There are places to leave luggage and heavy items as you’re not allowed to take more than one bag into the grounds. There is a small charge for this and there is also a security check just before you cross over the bridge onto Church Lane.
  • And last but not least, one of the best things about the queue is the people; you’re surrounded by tennis fans which is always a good thing and I’ve always found there is a great atmosphere while you’re there. Enjoy!

Getting in to the grounds

If you are lucky enough to obtain a chance to buy a show court ticket, you’ll have been issued with a wrist band while in the queue; there’s a different colour for each court and these are distributed by the Wimbledon Stewards typically from about 8am. When you reach Gate 3 and the ticket turnstiles, those with the allocated wristbands will be separated to the specific turnstile for the court (sales are strictly one ticket per person and only cash is accepted at the turnstiles; check the website for up-to-date ticket prices as they increase each day)

Once you’ve purchased your ticket you’ll be in the grounds and right in front of the Order of Play board. If you queued early you’ll probably get there around 9.30am.

There are stalls selling souvenirs and programs (£8 this year) in this area of the grounds as well as a newsagents, cafe, official shop and toilet facilities.

The main grounds aren’t open until 10.30am so this is the only area you can access for an hour and it gets really busy.

Once the grounds are open you are able to sit on any of the unreserved seats on the outside courts where play this year starts at 11.30, so there’s time before the show courts open to see at least a couple of sets of tennis.

Outside courts

Do you have any other tips for the Wimbledon queue? Please let us know in the comments below or tweet them to @grandslamgal.


Comments

  1. If I queue from 6 am on the final Sunday will I get into the grounds to watch from the hill?

  2. If I turn up at about 1600 tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd) will I have to queue long ? I only want to watch some games on the outer courts that evening.

  5. What day do we have to queue for the second Wednesday (Men’s quarter final day) Thanks for the help

  7. Hi, I am planning to queue for Monday’s (July 1st) center court tickets. I was told I need to be there as early as Saturday morning. Is this true? Can I get grounds pass if I arrive Sunday night? Thanks.

    • only a ground ticket at that time. for centre court tickets you need to be there for sat tea time

  8. Great article and very useful – 3 questions:

    1) if we get there at 8.00am for Ground passess, do you think this will be OK?
    2) Can you take in open bottles?
    3) Can you take in alcohol other than wine or beer? The website says the equivalent of so i’m wondering if I can take a 1 litre bottle of made up pimms!!

    Thanks so much!

  9. Hi guys,

    I want to join the queue (my first time) for Monday’s (1st July) play. Am I able to arrive and start queuing on the Saturday afternoon even though there is no play on the Sunday?

    Many thanks

    Regards

    John

  10. Hi vj,

    You have to be in the queue – you can’t just reserve your place with a tent. It is okay to pop away to grab some food (speak to the people next to you in the queue first), but if you wander off for a few hours you will lose your place – queue card confiscated when you finally return.

    Yvonne

  11. I’ll be there on Sunday too for Monday’s ticket (Roger will be player first match as defending champion right?) would be glad to know if you can wonder off to wimbledon village for dinner as well. A bit worried now that Andy Murray is in the same half, maybe I should take the first tube there?

    thanks!
    Mary

  12. Hi All,

    I have decided to stand in the line around 10 am Sunday morning for Monday tickets. So once I receieve my quque card, am i expected to stand in line for almost 24 hrs without a break?! Or are we allowed to wander around sometime till evening before we return to our tents?

    Can somebody let me know from their experience please?

    Thanks!
    Vj

  13. Hi guys,

    Once you get the queue card (say sunday midday for Monday tickets), do We have stand in the line for 24 hrs before we reach the turnstiles or do we have an option to leave the grounds and come back around Sunday evening. Thanks in advance for your response.

    Cheers!

  14. Sarah, thanks for the posting the exact same question i had in mind and Jimbo thanks for the response I was wanting to hear. Sunday mid day then, I will be there… vamos roger!!!!

  15. Hi Sarah, I’ve queued for the first day for the last 3 years and got on centre court each time. There’s no need to be there on the saturday. As long as you join the queue by midday on Sunday you’ll be okay for centre court tickets. The queue is always smaller for the first 3 days of the tournament. Hope that helps!

  16. Hi I’m planning to go to Wimbledon on day 1 and want a ticket for Centre Court. What is the best time to join the queue on the Sunday to camp overnight?
    I read on the official Wimbledon site, the queue starts at 8:00am on Sunday 23.
    Should I join and camp on Saturday night?
    Ps. Really good info above – thanks for that.

  17. hi,
    i am planning to go to wimbledon on day 3…im not planning to queu overnight so i am sure i wont get tickets for centre court and n1 and n2…what time do you think i should be there for the ground tickets?i am travelling from the north and i should be in wimbledon around 8am
    thank you

  18. Ill be in London for a few days for 2013 Wimbledon and just realized there is no play on Sunday, June 30. If I join the queue Saturday night will I be able to buy tickets on Sunday for Monday? If not, how does the Sunday off work?

  20. Hi Jane, it is all one queue and they don’t separate those who want tickets and those who just want a ground pass, you just get a queuing card and take what you want (or what is left) by the time you get to the front. You won’t have to queue over night for a ground pass, but you will need to get there around 6am to be sure of one. I went on the second monday in 2011 and got a ground pass easily getting there between 6-7am, but by 10am there were almost 10,000 people there and only about 5,000 get in until people start leaving. When people leave who have tickets they sometimes leave them at a place with staff and people queue to get those or get into the grounds, by 5pm people have left so there is room again. I found somebody on facebook recently who worked as part of the steward team last year as I want court tickets for the second monday and it seems to be sure I have to start queuing friday night, should be interesting….. Hope this helps. Steve

  21. Hi Jane
    Thanks for your comment. All the information that I have about the queue is included above, but I’ve asked a friend who is an experience queuer if she is able to answer any of your questions.
    Regards
    GSG

  22. Hi,

    Thanks for the article GrandSlamGal! Is there a separate queue for those who want a Ground Pass vs those who want Centre Court or Courts 1 & 2 tixs? Also, how early should you arrive if you want a Ground Pass? I saw on the Wimbledon site that you can queue after 5pm for tixs as well. Do you know the process for that?

  23. Hi Steve

    I’ve heard of people getting to the queue on Friday for Monday tickets and from memory I think last year they closed the queue on the Saturday.

    If anyone else reading this article has info, can you please let us know?

    Good luck!
    GSG

  24. Hi there, great article. To get center or court 1 tickets on the second monday of play, how early do you have to get there, I have read online in some places that this has to be friday, surely not…?

  25. Would it be possible for one person to 4 tickets or would all 4 be required to queue up together?

  27. Hi Naz, a lot of people I know queued from around 6.30am to 7.30am in the morning and were in the grounds by the time they open at 10.30am.