So, you really want to see the tennis at Wimbledon but don’t have a ticket?
There are still ways to get to see the action. In the end there is a link to our YouTube video about the experience.
In this blogpost we will look at the queue at Wimbledon and I will explain the best ways to use it. I will also show you my personal experience from queueing at day 3 of the Wimbledon and a few glimpses from what you can expect once you are inside the Wimbledon premises.
Every day up, the queue gives you a chance to see Wimbledon tennis live.
Once you arrive to the queue you will be given a queue card. Keep this safe as you will need to show it at several checkpoints to get in. I would recommend taking a picture of it just in case. I’ve seen many people getting denied entry because they lost their queue card. You don’t want that after queueing for several hours.
Quotas of tickets
The first 500 queue cards give you access to the centre court.
Queue card 501-1000 will get you the opportunity to buy a Court 1 ticket and with a number of 1001-1500 you can expect to secure a ticket for the No 2 court. Anything higher than 1500 will give you the chance to buy a ground pass. It will give you access to the ground and courts 3 through 18.
See the prices for 2023 here.
The Queue
The queue is located on a big grass field just northeast of the main grounds. There are plenty of food stalls and toilets in this area. A big yellow flag with the letter Q will show you where the end of the queue is.
Go there and wait a moment to be given a queue card. I arrived at 9am on day 3 and was given card 10874. They start letting people in at 10am so don’t expect the queue to start moving until then.
Up until around 9am there is a constant busy flow with people arriving to queue but after 9am it starts to slow down.
With a number above 5000, don’t expect to get in before 1200, so bring a blanket, an umbrella and some drinks/snacks to enjoy.
My experience on day 3 of wimbledon 2023
Here is my story from the worlds most sophisticated queue. I arrived just before 9am to the grounds. After finding the end of the queue I waited to get my queue card. The skies looked a bit dark and of course I didn’t have an umbrella. After about 20 minutes we received our queue cards. They are day specific and has a number printed on them. After an hour and a half, the skies opened up. But nothing stops an enthusiastic Wimbledon queuer. After the rain, the sun popped out and everyone was in a better mood.
After a few more rain showers and time check 12:21 it was time for a pizza. You can leave the queue for up to 30min to go the toilet and grab some food. There is a really good guide published by Wimbledon. I will link it in the description. Things started to move around us, and it was soon our turn. At time 13:42 it was finally time for us.
Around 5 hours of queueing paid off.
moving towards the ticket booths
We made our way towards the grounds and from this point it usually takes around 20-30 minutes until you reach the ticket sales. On the way there are plenty of fun sponsored activities and we were offered free coffee and juice. After reaching the ticket sales booth it was just to pay and the ticket was yours. A really good feeling after a long morning.
You have to go through security checks where certains restrictions apply. See this poster for more information. But it might be good to know that you can bring a 500ml flask, two cans of beer or a bottle of wine. Please like and subscribe to the channel if you like these kind of narrated travel videos.
Once you are in, you will have the Centre court right in front of you and the famous “Order of Play” schedule board. You can pick up a map from any of the information booths around the premises.
The Hill
The Hill is a popular hangout for ground pass holders where two big screen will show you the Centre court and No1 court action. Court 18 is also a popular court. In total there are 18 courts. Here you can see courts 14-17.
What if you really wanted to get in to the main courts?
If you didn’t get one of the first 1500 queue cards there is still a way to see the action on Centre court and No 1 and No 2 courts. This is by going to the Ticket Resale booth at the top of the hill. As guests with tickets to these courts leave the grounds they are getting resold at a very attractive price. Head to the hill resale office to get your chance on these tickets. Last year I was lucky enough to see Djokovic Vs Van Rijthoven at Centre court this way.
I hope you will try out the queue after reading this blogpost. But maybe choose a sunny day if you can. It’s a fun experience and you will be surrounded by fellow tennis fans from all over the world.
Here is our YouTube video from our day at the Wimbledon:
