The Wimbledon Tennis Queue 2023 – Everything we know so far
Joining ‘The Queue’ is one of the best ways to get tickets to The Wimbledon Tennis Championships – here’s how, where and when to queue for 2023 Wimbledon tennis tickets
If you didn’t get tickets to the Wimbledon Championships this year, then joining the Wimbledon Tennis Queue is one of the best ways to watch top class tennis at one of the best Grand Slam tournaments in the world.
It’s one of the very few major UK sporting events where you can still buy premium tickets on the day of play.
The Queue for The Championships 2023 will start on Sunday 2 July at 2 pm. Anyone arriving before Sunday will be asked come back the next day.
I’ve queued three times before, and camped overnight at Wimbledon Park – to get tickets to the tournament. Here’s my rough guide to The Queue:
Arrive early if you want to get show court tickets. In the past, you will have most certainly had to camp overnight for these, and chances are the same will be true for this year.
In previous years, tennis fans would start queueing the evening before with their camping gear so as to be first in line in the morning. People have even been known to start queuing 40 hours ahead of time to ensure they get Centre Court tickets. Of course, the more popular the match, the earlier you should be prepared to queue.
Up to 500 tickets will be allocated for Centre Court, Court 1 and Court 2 each day. This means that if you wanted Centre Court tickets you will need to be in the first 500 people in the queue, Court No 1 the next 500, and so on. Then once those tickets have all been handed out, there will be Grounds Passes which enables you to access all courts including No.3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18, as well as The Hill, where the action from Centre and No.1 Courts is screened. Everyone will be handed a dated and numbered queue card upon joining the queue to prevent queue jumping and tents will be set up in rows – you will be shown where to set up by a steward. Those in the front will be handed wristbands on the morning of play for the show courts.
To give you a rough idea, in 2013 I arrived at the Queue at 2pm on Saturday for the second Monday and was 337th in line, camping for two nights and got Centre Court tickets. In 2011 I joined the Queue on Sunday at around 2pm, was 1450 in line, camped for one night and got Court 2 seats.
Once all show court tickets were allocated you were only able to get Ground Passes. For those, joining the queue on the day was fine – but we advise you still get there early, from around 7am when campers usually dismantle their tents.
Worth knowing
- You can leave your luggage at Wimbledon Tennis: Left luggage is £1 for most items, but £5 for large items.
- Only two-person tents are permitted.
- Food deliveries should be met at the Wimbledon Park Road gate before 10 pm.
Be prepared if you’re planning to camp overnight. Take a tent (a maximum two-person tent is a guideline), a sleeping bag and I highly suggest an airbed if staying for more than one night. I remember seeing people camp with just a sleeping bag, and they looked very cold and uncomfortable! The one thing I wish I had was a camping chair – sitting on the ground all day is not very comfortable! Stewards will wake everyone up at around 6 am on the morning of play to dismantle tents and form a standing queue. I strongly suggest setting an alarm and getting up and packed before the rest of the campers to avoid long queues at the left luggage facilities (which open at 5.30am and close one hour after play ends). Try to get as much sleep as possible – I used to wonder why so many spectators fall asleep while watching matches, and now realise that many are tired campers!
Large items can be deposited at the left luggage facilities for £5 an item (£4 will be donated to improving facilities of Wimbledon Park), with other items costing £1. The guideline on bag size is ‘cabin’ sized to ensure that the left luggage facilities can cater for as many people in the queue as possible. After this, there’ll be a few more hours of queuing (during which wristbands will be handed out) before reaching at the turnstiles to pay for tickets and entering the grounds.
With the unpredictable British weather you should also consider taking a waterproof jacket and umbrella – or, if we get tropical temperatures, make sure you have sun screen, plenty of water and a hat to keep cool. A picnic blanket will come in handy too with all the waiting around.
Food and drink. You could take your own food and drink into the camping grounds and inside (limit on alcohol is a bottle of wine or two 500ml cans of beer per person into the Grounds), although there are plenty of food stalls and restaurants if you want to buy food and drink inside. It’s a good idea if you’re planning to stay around the camping area to get food, snacks and refreshments – take a cooler bag. Or you could order a take away and get it delivered to the Wimbledon Park Road gate. Alternatively, venture around the area or grab something from the food vendors on site. Note that barbecues are not permitted in the Queue.
There’s always a great atmosphere in the Queue because of the very friendly and helpful stewards and excitement of fellow campers. Don’t forget to soak in the Wimbledon atmosphere, get a Pimm’s and lemonade, strawberries and cream and enjoy world-class tennis on your doorstep!
