The Wimbledon Queue is a phenomenon that’s grown up around the most famous tennis tournament in the world. As athletes compete for a share of the £44 million prize fund, thousands of fans queue for hours, even days, for the chance to buy tickets to watch the play.
But is it worth the effort to queue for tickets at Wimbledon? How much play do you get to see? We’ve joined the iconic Wimbledon queue. This is what happened plus important updates for 2025.
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What is The Queue Wimbledon?
The Championships Wimbledon, as it is officially known, is the most famous tennis tournament in the world. One of the four Grand Slam events for the elite of the tennis circuit – and the only one played on grass – it takes place in the hallowed environs of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. This crucible of physical excellence and nail-biting drama is an 18-court ground in Wimbledon, a suburb in SW19, south west London.
Of course there are plenty of legitimate ways to obtain Wimbledon tickets in advance without sleeping overnight in a park. See below.
But Wimbledon is famously one of the only elite sporting events in the world where spectators can queue for premium tickets, at their face value, on the day of the competition. Anyone can buy a ticket to see world-class tennis: if they’re willing to line up for long enough. And for a treasured seat on one of Wimbledon’s Show Courts this generally means camping overnight. And then standing in a line with thousands of other people for a very long time.
My family and I are locals and we’ve been to the Wimbledon Championships several times over the years. There’s no doubt about it the Queue has got more and more popular. So this post is about our experiences to help you decide whether the Wimbledon Queue is worth it.
Why queue for Wimbledon?
We Brits of course are famous for our ability to queue. And we’ve been practising our queuing techniques at Wimbledon for more than a century since the first suited and be-hatted tennis enthusiasts set up their camping stools in Church Road.
Until 2008 Wimbledon queuers snoozed on pavements near the grounds, while local residents set up impromptu burger stalls in their gateways.
These days the queue at Wimbledon is a highly organised affair. It takes place in Wimbledon Park opposite the AELTC grounds. Perhaps it’s thanks to the soaring achievements of British player Andy Murray, or the rise of social media which publicises the phenomenon. Whatever the reason, the famous Wimbledon Queue has grown.
Now people fly in from all over the world to join the tens of thousands who stand, sit, lie or sleep (if they’re lucky) for hours and even days in Wimbledon Park to get a precious ticket to The Championships. In 2024 Wimbledon had 526,455 visitors entering the grounds during The Fortnight just a few thousand less than the record attendance figures of 2023.
The Queue Wimbledon has come of age. It now has an official Code of Conduct, social media accounts and its own presence on the Wimbledon app where you can check Queue status.
The Queue is able to access an allocation of both Show Court tickets (for Centre, No 1 or No 2 Courts) and Ground tickets which give access to the rest of the outside courts, and these are offered on a best available, first come first served basis each day. Prices increase as the Championship draws on and so a Centre Court ticket might cost £105 on Day One, but £230 on Day Ten.
Queuing overnight for Wimbledon tickets
Although it’s likely (but not guaranteed) that you’ll get into the grounds by joining the Queue at Wimbledon early on the morning of play, many people commit to camping out for the night. They do this in the hopes of securing the most prized tickets to the Show Courts where the top seeds compete.
Although many of these highly sought-after tickets are sold months in advance by ballot, an allocation is always held back to be sold at face value on each day of play. Centre Court tickets are the exception here and are only available to the Queue for the first 10 days of the Championships. So no, you can’t get your hands on a ticket for the Men’s Singles Finals by joining the Queue, no matter how many nights you camp out.
But the most dedicated tennis fans will camp out in the Queue for two nights to get their hands on a prime Centre Court seat earlier in the Championships.
To give you some idea of the competitive nature of the Wimbledon Queue(!) I went along to have a look at it last year at 4.30pm on the first Friday, 5 July 2024. There were already 600 people patiently waiting who would be spending the night in line, with more joining throughout the evening. This number would already account for the Queue’s Centre Court ticket allocation for the first Saturday of the Championships.
Does joining The Queue mean you will get to see a match?
There’s no definitive answer to this. Stewards know how many tickets are available each day. They also know how many people are in the Queue. A steward told me that they do their absolute best to make sure that people don’t queue in vain. So they will tell you when you arrive if they think the Queue is already so long that you risk being disappointed that day.
If you’re planning to visit the Championships in 2025 your first step is to download the Wimbledon official app – and register for a myWIMBLEDON account. And I recommend you do this well before you arrive at the ground.
What happens to the Queue when it rains?
This was a very pertinent question in 2024 which saw a lot of rain during Wimbledon fortnight. When I visited the Queue at 4.30 pm in the afternoon on the first Friday people were still turning up despite the rain. Like me they were hoping to get a later entry to the ground to watch the end of the day’s play. But there was already a substantial line of people in front, to the tune of about 2.5k, even at that time of day.
And it’s important to know that the capacity of the grounds is reduced on wet days. There’s no play on the outside courts when it’s raining and only so much shelter available. This means that there are less opportunities to get tickets by queueing. The stewards were encouraging newcomers not to join the Queue and with clouds moving in too I didn’t wait around!
The Rules of the Wimbledon Queue
Queuers can bring a small tent and a sleeping bag – but no barbecues or gazebos! Wimbledon provides toilet facilities in the form of portaloos, water re-fill stations and left luggage facilities for camping gear. Vans sell coffee and some hot food, many queuers order in pizzas and other local takeaways. There aren’t any showers, though rumour has it that queue members can buy day passes at a local gym.
You can’t leave the Queue for more than 30 minutes, if you do you risk losing your place and there are regular checks.
Voluntary stewards walk the Queue 24 hours a day and uphold the Code with a combination of avuncular charm or general cheeriness. But this is Britain and the crowd, weaned on queues for Royal occasions, Glastonbury and any visit to the Post Office, is overwhelmingly law abiding, good humoured and stoic.
The Wimbledon official website gamely asserts that the Queue is as much a part of the Wimbledon experience as the tennis. But is the Wimbledon Queue really worth it?
Wimbledon Queue FAQs
Wimbledon tickets allow access to specific courts on specific days rather than individual matches. In 2024, the lucky people at the head of the Queue could buy from a daily allocation of 500 Centre Court tickets (for the first 10 days only), 500 for No. 1 Court and 500 for No. 2 Court (for days they are in play). Once these are gone the rest of the Queue could buy from the allocation of several thousand Grounds tickets for access to all Courts including 3, 12 and 18 and The Hill.
The Ground’s capacity varies according to the weather and how many courts are in play.
Tickets are sold one per person and they can’t be transferred.
Go to the Wimbledon website for each day’s ticket tariff. In 2025 cheapest Centre Court tickets cost £75 for Day 1 or 2, rising to £230 on Day 10. Grounds passes cost £30, reducing in price from Day 9 onwards owing to fewer matches being available.
No. At present the Wimbledon website states that Centre Court tickets aren’t available to the Queue on the last 4 days of the Tournament.
Wimbledon has 18 Championship grass courts in all. Centre Court is the most prestigious, it’s the most famous tennis court in the world. It holds nearly 15000 people and has a retractable roof so play can continue during rain or into the evening. No.1 court also has a moveable roof and has a capacity of around 12000. No. 2 Court has 4000 seats whilst Court 3 seats 2000. Courts 12 (approx 1,700 seats) and 18 (around 750 seats) are also considered Show Courts and host some famous names during the Fortnight, especially in the first week.
A Grounds Pass gives you access to unreserved seating and standing room on Courts 3 to 18. Grounds ticket holders can also choose to sit on The Hill and watch play on the big screens there. Or apply for resale tickets to Centre Court and Courts No. 1 and No. 2 after 3 pm.
It depends! Grounds tickets give you access to unreserved seats on Courts 3, 12 and 18 and unreserved seating on the outside courts 4 to 11 and 14 to 17. But this is according to availability. If they’re full you’ll have to queue. And No. 3 Court, which has some reserved seating, can operate its own free ticketed queue at very busy times.
Seat holders return their tickets for Centre Court, No.1 and No.2 as they leave the grounds. These go on sale at the Ticket Resale Kiosk. Once you enter the grounds you can go to the Ticket Resale kiosk and scan your QR code in your myWimbledon phone app. This means you don’t have to queue for resale tickets and will be sent an SMS message if you get the chance to buy one. They are a bargain price: £15 for Centre Court and £10 for the others, which goes to charity. But resales still rely on the original seat holders leaving the courts and going home. And on a lovely sunny day – or conversely in wet weather – they might not!
The Wimbledon App
All queuers are asked to create a myWIMBLEDON account by downloading the Wimbledon app to their phones. Ticket holders also have this and it gives updates throughout the day on order of play and results.
When you check into the Queue the stewards will scan your myWIMBLEDON ID and you’ll get updates on the status of the Queue.
The Queue Village
In 2024 the Queue Village was a dedicated area outside the grounds with food vendors, one or two discounts or freebies from the official tournament partners and some live play showing on a big screen.
Those in the front position of the Queue in the morning can buy their tickets from the ticket office before the grounds open and then move into the Queue Village to wait for the grounds to open at 10am. This process continues throughout the day, with the head of the Queue waiting in the Queue Village for space to become available in the grounds.
What the Wimbledon Queue was like
When my son Nick joined the queue for the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament he and a friend chose to join it on Friday day 5 at 6 am.
The weather forecast was very good, it was the hottest day of the week with highs of 27° C. Plus Andy Murray held an overnight lead of 2 sets to 1 over Stefan Tsitsipas in a game which was continuing that day. These are both factors that would contribute to more people than ever deciding to join the famous Queue.
Nick opted out of queuing overnight. He knew there was already high demand for the best seats which would likely mean he wouldn’t get the chance of a Show Court ticket.
Instead they joined the Wimbledon Queue at 6 am on the morning of play. Long lines of people were already waiting. At the end of the queue they were each handed a numbered Queue card by a steward. According to their cards they found they were numbers 5313 and 5314 in line. This queue number is all-important. With a steady stream of people arriving behind them the Queue for that day of play built up very quickly. They knew they still had a waiting time of several hours.
And some people in the Queue were already planning to stay in line all day and for a second night for the chance of getting Show Court tickets on Saturday.
How do you pass the time queuing at Wimbledon?
Nick took a cool bag jam-packed with food and snacks plus a picnic blanket. So they didn’t need to join the Queue’s famous sub-queues at the coffee and food trucks in the park. You’re allowed to take a bottle of wine or two cans of beer or pre-mixed aperitifs into the grounds – so don’t overpack!
They didn’t find the waiting too onerous. It was a lovely day for sitting around on the grass and having a chat. They had an enjoyable queue experience, all things considered.
The lines started to move around 9.45 am when the gates opened. The Wimbledon grounds open at 10 am and play starts on the outside courts at 11 am.
Unfortunately Wimbledon was on high alert after protesters disrupted play earlier in the week. With the increased security measures it took a while for members of the Queue to buy their tickets and process through the security checks and bag search. A steward explained to them that the rate was around 2000 people per hour. It was taking longer than in previous years.
This meant it was 12.30pm before Nick and his friend could buy a Grounds Pass each and go through the gates to the Wimbledon Championships. At this point they’d spent 6 and a half hours standing in line, queuing at Wimbledon.
Was the Wimbledon Queue Worth it?
As play didn’t start on Centre Court until 1.30pm or Court No.1 til 1pm, the rest of the courts were already busy with Show Court ticket holders waiting for their own matches to begin. This does reduce the chance of people with Ground Passes getting seats quickly when they enter the grounds. Spaces eventually become free once play starts on the Show Courts and ticket holders go to claim their seats.
The first Friday was a particularly busy day. Other friends, who had Show Court tickets that day, said the grounds were ‘packed!’ This made it quite difficult to move around and there were long queues for food and drinks.
So there was more queuing at Wimbledon in store for holders of Grounds passes once they got inside the gates.
Nick says: “We tried Court No. 3 first but the queue was so long that we decided it would take an hour to get in. Then we went to Court 18 but again the queue was huge. And it was unlikely anyone would leave the Berrettini vs de Minaur match. But, third time lucky, and we got seats on Court 12. Here we saw most of the match between Hurkacz vs Musetti.
After that we dipped in and out of some more singles and doubles on the outside courts. And we sat on The Hill for a while to watch on the big screens. We looked at the queues at the ticket resale kiosk near court 18, but they were too long to bother with! (NB The ticket resale queue is now virtual, see above.)
We got lucky in the evening because we found a great game, Garcia vs Bouzkova, on Court 18. By 8.30pm with still one set to go the light was fading. Then officials transferred the match to No. 1 Court which was empty! The audience moved across too which was great. We watched as the roof closed on No. 1 Court and then saw the final set there.”
Verdict: Overall we had a great day.
The Wimbledon website gives clear instructions to all would-be queuers. Nick’s top tip? Take plenty of food with you!
Where is the Wimbledon Queue?
The Queue forms in Wimbledon Park on the opposite side of the road to the Championship grounds. The only entrance to the Queue is at the Wimbledon Park Road gate and stewards are on duty there 24 hours each day.
By public transport the nearest tube station is Southfields, on the District line, which is 5 minute’s walk away. The first tube in the morning arrives at Southfields station at 6.46 am. Buses run earlier depending on your starting point.
Where to stay near Wimbledon
If you fancy an early morning start to the Queue here are some local accommodation options within a 20 mins walk. Warning: they get booked up early!
Dog and Fox In the heart of the village, the Dog and Fox is a lively pub with rooms and a large function space for events. Check here for availability and to book Dog and Fox.
Rose and Crown historic, cosy pub with rooms in the village. Check here for availability and to book Rose and Crown.
More ways to buy tickets for Wimbledon
There are other ways to get tickets for Wimbledon. Here’s how:
- Members of the public can enter the UK and Overseas public ballot in autumn. Applicants go into a draw and tickets are allocated at random, one pair per household, to lucky winners. You can’t control the day, court or price of the tickets you are allocated. And you may not get lucky at all.
- Apply for a Wimbledon hospitality package via official provider, Keith Prowse. Often bought for corporate entertaining hospitality tickets include prime seats on Centre Court or No 1 Court, plus meals and drinks in the entertainment suites on site. They obviously cost more than the face value of the seats, but they’re a fabulous way to experience the Tournament!
- Buy a debenture ticket that has been offered for resale. Debenture tickets are prime seats in Centre Court and Court No 1. Debenture holders invest in the AELTC and receive tickets each year along with Tournament perks like access to Debenture restaurants, bars and parking. Debenture holders may resell these tickets either personally or through resale sites.
- The Lawn Tennis Association holds its own ballot for its members including players, fans, officials and coaches.
- Apparently the Ticketmaster website has some tickets available for the following day’s play. They sell out within minutes though.
- In some years local residents are offered the chance to buy tickets. Again there’s no guarantee. And you’d need to buy a property to qualify!
Please note that all visitor information here is for guidance only. Please check the relevant websites for the most up to date information eg. accommodation details, tickets, entrance requirements, opening times etc.
What to read next
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- Favourite local Wimbledon pubs
- Things to do in Wimbledon – we have 30 suggestions
- What’s it Like to Live in Wimbledon here’s our area guide.
- Visitors to London need this quick 2 Days in London Itinerary to see all the major sights
About the author Nancy is a former women’s magazine editor and writer who lives in London and is mum to two 20-something boys. In Map&Family she shares info and inspiration for curious travellers: singles and couples as well as families travelling with teens and young adults.
All photos are all rights reserved. Please do not reproduce these photos without prior written permission
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