American Express Presents BST Hyde Park

One of the best venues/festivals I have attended in recent years. Fantastic facilities and the bar platform service is extremely helpful. The view from the platform is outstanding. The communications from the accessibility team prior to attending really helped me manage and prepare for the journey and conditions within the park. The only part I felt unprepared for, was entering and exiting the viewing platforms which required navigating through large crowds. I'm unclear if this is usually circumvented by arriving and leaving early but it would definitely have helped to have this information in advance. Overall it was a fantastic event and concert and I would revisit in future. I am confident the BST accessibility team will continue to build and improve the experience.

We have been going to BST (British Summer Time) at Hyde Park for a number of years. I’ve always had an amazing time. Whilst this might be very difficult if you are ambulant as there is a lot of walking involved, I think they do their best with what they have. They operate a shuttle bus service from the free blue badge parking area (bookable at the time you book your tickets) which drops you off as close to the access entrance as possible. People can use any entrance but the access entrance has matting all the way to the access areas, making it much easier for wheelchair and scooter users. BST operate two access areas which is a fantastic idea. They have a ground level viewing area for people who need a seat sometimes but otherwise like to stand or dance. This is great for ambulant disabled people, people with non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity and mental health needs. They also operate a viewing platform which is raised which is great for people who need to watch the show seated, wheelchair users etcetera. Sadly not everyone buys the right ticket for their needs which can create issues (eg people getting the viewing platform then standing through a concert to block others views who can’t stand. However staff are usually good if the people themselves are willing to eg move to the back of the platform. The platform is well set out with easy access to the seats and the staff add/remove chairs willingly. You are able to arrive any time and find your seat before going off exploring if that is what you’d like to do. Staff are good at keeping the seats reserved for you, put a jumper or small bag without valuables left there always helps them identify where you are sitting. There are two other stages for acts during the afternoon as well as main stage. We have been to the rainbow stage as well. To be honest the viewing platform for this stage was really badly positioned and you couldn’t see, but hopefully something that could be changed. If you aren’t able to get a viewing platform ticket, or prefer to be in the general area etc BST usually offer a PA ticket for other ticket types too. There are a number of food places selling food. As someone with an allergy it can be hard to find safe food. So worth contacting BST in advance to problem solve this. They do have the ridiculous small bag rules, but I’ve found them to be very relaxed with me as a wheelchair user as long as everything is packed into bags on my chair. They will also give a letter to people who need larger bags for access reasons to show staff in the gates. The view from the stage is pretty good. The large screens definitely help a lot! The viewing platform has no protection from the weather so do bring waterproofs and a small sun shade/sunscreen etc. There are lowered counters at the merchandise stands and bars where you can queue up for these separately. They have water points, although there can be long queues for these, the staff will let you queue jump if needed. At the end of the evening there is a short wait for the shuttle bus as everyone leaving at the same time, but otherwise a very easy exit from a large event.

This is the second time I've been to BST Hyde Park and it was just as good - if not better! - than our previous visit. The set up is great, the staff have obviously had some great staff training and even the loos are good! The only difficultly for us was the drop off / pick up as my pal's powerchair is too big for the accessibility vehicle so we had to go through Hyde Park - but that has tarmac paths so whilst it is a fair distance it is definitely do-able!