The Wimbledon Queue: Mastering the most British tradition you’ll probably ever find

Ah, London summers. A time of late evening picnics in the park, early morning lido swims,  and getting a healthy dose of vitamin D (disclaimer: there will also be a lil bit of rain because it’s still England don’t ya know).

Another thing that’s synonymous with London summers is Wimbledon. One of tennis’s four slams (alongside the French, Australian and US), it always brings a huge crowd out because you’ll see the best of the best at hitting a fuzzy green ball.

And that means competition for tickets is huge. There are a few different ways to get them:

• Hospitality
• Debentures
• Becoming a member of a British tennis club and entering a ballot
• Entering the public ballot in autumntime the year before

Now, the first two options are obvs spenny. The third requires you to play tennis (hands up if like me, you’re more about the watching than the playing). And the final one needs a whole lotta luck – try around about a 10% success rate of getting tickets.

But what if you find yourself with a free summer’s day in the capital in late June/early July (maybe ahead of your Europe Contiki trip or during some free time on your London Explorer), and wanna see some top level tennis?

Enter the Wimbledon Queue. Your answer to getting last minute tickets to one of the hottest sporting events of the British summer.

Here’s a quickfire list of FAQs from someone who’s been there and done it multiple times so you’re fully prepped, and only have to worry about not humming the Challengers soundtrack when play’s going on.

So you can queue for Wimbledon?

Yes! For every day throughout the fortnight when the tournament’s on, you can queue up to watch world class tennis on a whim. It’s quite possibly Wimbledon’s biggest tradition – potentially even more so than strawberries and cream.

Where does the Queue start?

Don’t head to the grounds themselves, get yourself to Wimbledon Park, where you’ll find the back of the Queue, and a steward will hand you a Queue card.

How to get to the Queue in the early hours of the morning

If you’re trying to get to the Queue between midnight and 5AM, you’ll find that London transport isn’t properly up and running. So check apps like Google Maps or Citymapper, which will help you find a way.

Night buses are pretty handy in this scenario (sadly not the Harry Potter kind), and if we’re talking about a Friday or Saturday night, then the night tube (the underground), will also be operating on some lines.

Typically, what I’ve done in the past, is get some of the way there, then grab an Uber.

How does the Queue work at Wimbledon?

There’s a common perception that Brits love a queue, but honestly, this is something else. When you turn up at Wimbledon Park (get there early with a capital E – more on this to come), you’ll see a line of people snaking up and down.

Then you, and whoever else has decided to head on this mission with you, will receive a Queue card from a steward, and in previous years, I’ve also always gotten a little pamphlet with every last little detail about the Queue (which in itself makes quite a nice little souvenir).

This year, there’s a change coming where you’ll have to get the myWIMBLEDON app to queue. That’s so when you arrive, you’ll also get checked in too.

Everyone who wants to come has to be there at the same time to get their Queue card and check in on the app. There’s no “Sorry, my mate’s stuck somewhere on a night bus in North London, can I get a card for them?” Fair is fair in the Queue, and jumping it is impossible. The stewards have seen it all before, and will just laugh you out the door, or the park in this case.

There’s then a wait (often hours long, but don’t worry, there are toilets/refreshments etc) until eventually you’ll hit the front of the queue when you can buy tickets, before reaching the Queue Village. In here, you’ll find stalls, some sponsor competitions and games (the first time I’ve ever played cornhole at 7 o’clock in the morning which did wake me up tbf), and there’ll be some highlights up on a big screen. And then at 10AM, the doors will open, and you can start to walk around the Grounds until play begins on the outer courts (every court apart from Centre Court and No. 1 Court).

If you get to the front of the Queue, and there are no tickets left (sad times), don’t lose hope. It will just mean a stint in the Queue village as it will be a one in, one out system, until your Queue card number comes up on the screen, and you’ll be able to buy a ticket and get yourself into the Grounds and watch some tennis.

What types of tickets can I get in the Wimbledon Queue?

You can get tickets for the show courts (Centre Court, No. 1 Court, and No. 2 Court) – but there are only 500 for each. And just to note you won’t be able to get Centre Court tickets in the Queue for the last four days of the tournament.

What there are more of are Grounds tickets – we’re talking several thousands. This means you can see plenty of matches in unreserved seating/standing in outer courts (Courts 3 to 18), and in the first week particularly, there are loads of matches going on. 

That goes all the way from mini stadiums to a few benches surrounding the court – that’s right, you’ll be close enough to hear players hyping themselves up, but it’ll kinda also feel like you’re sat in a quaint English park.

Just to say that there are fewer matches on the outer courts in the second week, but you can still soak up all the atmosphere on Henman Hill/Murray Mound (depending on who you talk to) watching a match on Centre Court on a big screen just outside No. 1 Court.

And even if you get a Grounds ticket, that doesn’t mean no show court action necessarily. Just head to the resale kiosk in the Grounds, scan the QR code, and then you’ll get a notification to buy any available tickets on the show courts as and when people who had those tickets originally are done for the day. It’s a lot cheaper too with Centre Court tickets costing £15, and No. 1 Court and No. 2 Court tickets costing just £10!

How early should I get to the Queue?

This is the golden question. And I’m gonna be honest here – there’s no definitive answer. But what we can do is give you some rough timelines. 

Those show court tickets I was talking about are like gold dust. If you want to be absolutely sure of getting hold of a Centre Court ticket, you will a) need to camp in the Queue from the night before, and b) probably get there in the early afternoon before that – we’re talking midday-1PM kinda time. Don’t worry, once you’ve got a Queue card, you can wander off and get food etc.

For No. 1 Court, I would also say to camp, and you’d probably only want to be there a little later the day before – say around 3PM/4PM. Meanwhile, for No. 2 Court tickets, you may not need to camp, but we’re probably talking 2AM-3AM territory in the very early morning of the day you want to see play to get a ticket.

Then for Grounds tickets, to be safe, I would say to arrive before 5AM-6AM to get hold of a ticket.

I’ve never camped myself, but have always heard it’s a pretty fun vibe. Bring along your tent, enjoy the food stalls nearby (or bring your own food and drinks), but just make sure you have quietened down by around 10PM or you’ll be told off (albeit very politely) by a steward.

You’ll then get woken up at around 6AM and told to take down your tents. And don’t worry, there’s a paid left luggage facility where you can leave your heavier belongings before picking them up that evening.

How much are Wimbledon tickets in the Queue?

The same price as they are if you bought them any other way! Here are the 2025 ticket prices. 

What should I bring to the Queue?

Leaving camping equipment aside for this one, there a few things I’d recommend for the Queue and the day ahead:

• Layers: You’re gonna have an early start so you will need a jumper/sweatshirt, but if the sun kicks into the gear, you’ll start to feel a bit toasty as the day goes on
• A hat: See the toastiness mentioned above
• A waterproof jacket: Because you never know when you might get a shower or two
• Sun cream: My legs once turned as red as Wimbledon strawberries because I missed a spot, so bring plenty of sun cream, and apply at least a couple of times
• A picnic blanket: You’re gonna be in that Queue for a while, so you’ll want a comfy place to sit down so there’s no danger of getting grass stains on your carefully chosen Wimbledon fit
• Snacks: But you can also bring your full lunch in too!
• Refillable water bottle: Dehydration is no joke, and there isn’t too much shade on site. There are plenty of water fountain/refill stations in the Grounds too
• Alcoholic drinks: If you were thinking of having a tipple, you can bring one 750ml bottle of champagne or wine, or two 500ml cans/bottles of beer or “premixed aperitifs” per person (yup, it’s still a pretty classy affair). Just don’t pop a cork while play’s going on. I’ve seen this happen mid-point, and a player completely missed their shot. It’s not cool, and you will get shamed by the umpire, if not thrown out

And here’s what you shouldn’t bring into the Grounds:

• Any bags bigger than 40cmx30cmx30cm
• Picnic hampers or cool boxes
• Vacuum flasks over 500ml
• Flags bigger than 60cmx60cm (one to remember when you’re super imposing your fave player’s face on a sign)

What souvenirs should I buy at Wimbledon?

There are so many things you can buy to remember your day. One iconic one is a towel – they have the year printed on them, and they’re made by fancy old school British brand Christy so you know they’re good quality too.

A cap is another nice option (especially if you’ve forgotten to bring a hat), but my personal fave is the used tennis balls. 

Head to the Southern Village store in the Grounds, and subject to availability, you’ll be able to buy a ball that has actually been used in that tournament (so it may have been hit by Carlos Alcaraz or Coco Gauff), and it will have the year on it too! It’s a nice little collector’s item – please see a few proudly sitting on a shelf in my living room above!

In previous years, it’s been £1 per ball, and that money goes to the Wimbledon Foundation – a charity run by the All England Lawn Tennis Club which hosts the tournament.

I would thoroughly recommend heading to Wimbledon for the day (and queueing!) – it’s a super unique experience, and I can’t think of too many better ways to spend 24 hours in London.