Proms in the Park. An experience to savour (Hyde Park)

Member Name: jammaker49

Product:	Hyde Park
Date:	13/12/02 (1763 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great atmosphere.

Disadvantages: It can be cold and wet., Rather packed trains going home.

Every year, I go to the Last Night of the Proms in Hyde Park, London. This year was my sixth year, and was every bit as good as the previous five.

The event takes place on the second Saturday in September, and is part of the culmination of all the Prom concerts that have taken place over the summer, mostly in the Royal Albert Hall.

For years, I dreamed of going to the Last Night at the Proms in the Albert Hall, but it was one of those things I never got round to doing. When a couple of friends suggested that we went to the Proms in the Park instead, six years ago, I jumped at the chance. From the very first visit, I was hooked, and now I order the tickets at the beginning of July, just to make sure!

On our first visit, we were very naïve, and didn’t realise that you couldn’t buy tickets on the night! We presumed that you simply turned up and paid at the gate! Silly us! There we were, complete with picnic etc, and no tickets! However, many people had spares, and were selling them at face value, so we quickly acquired the four tickets that we needed.

You need to be aware of touts, who buy spare tickets at rock bottom prices from unsuspecting customers who have too many, and sell them at vastly inflated prices. The second year that we went, we had a spare ticket, and a tout offered me £5.00 for a ticket I had paid £15 for! In no uncertain terms I told him I wanted what I’d paid for it, and soon found someone who, like us the previous year, had simply turned up. I didn’t want to make a profit, simply the amount I had paid for it.

PAST PROMS

The first year we went, it rained. We sat on black plastic refuse sacks, wore winter coats, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I can’t remember the acts that we saw, but I remember that first Ed Stewart, and then Terry Wogan, were the compares. I also have a very distinct recollection of a group of youngsters sitting in front of us, completely cov


ered by half a dozen umbrellas. They didn’t emerge all night, and from the wacky baccy smells that were emanating from under those brollies, I reckon they were away with the fairies for most of the night!

The following year, we were much more prepared! The weather was warm and sunny, and we set off armed to the teeth. We had our four-man picnic table, and four crammed bags of goodies, including salmon sandwiches (crustless) smoked salmon, champagne (complete with cooler) and strawberries and cream (in a proper cream jug!)

Since then, with the exception of last year (2001) when the event was somewhat subdued, owing to September 11th, we have tried to go one better each year. We have the picnic table down to a fine art, with lace tablecloth, candelabra and gourmet food, plus we have had 4 tee-shirts made, each with 2 lines of Land Of Hope and Glory printed on the backs! We just have to make sure we stand in the right order when the time comes!

During the 5 previous years that I have been going, we have seen such acts as Georgie Fame, Alan Price, Jools Holland, The Chieftans, Julian Lloyd Webber and last year, Jose Careras. Each year there is something different, and each year, we enjoy it just as much as before.

THIS YEAR AT THE PROMS IN THE PARK

This year, we got there early (around 2 pm) to make sure we were closer to the front! As we have the table, we tend to sit on the edge of one of the fields, right next to the pathway, so we don’t interfere with anyone’s view.

We began the afternoon by wandering down the road from Green Park Station, to the local grocery store, to buy some cream to go with the strawberries. For anyone who isn’t familiar with this part of London, the local grocery store isn’t your local Tesco or Asda, or even Marks and Spencer! Purchases are placed in green carrier bags of varying sizes, and most people want the bag rather than the contents! Indeed,
an American friend of mine came with us this year, and she told us to dump the cream, she wanted the bag! Oh…..the name……Fortnum and Mason! High priced cream, but hey…this was a special occasion!

At 4.30 pm the gates opened and in we trundled. We couldn’t rush to find a space. We were carrying far too much in the way of refreshments!

Once the table was erected, and the lace cloth put in place, we proceeded to unload the bags. I think I can safely say we outdid ourselves this year! We had the usual salmon sandwiches and 3 or 4 varieties of cheese to go with the real French bread (purchased in France and frozen for this event!) with real butter in a real glass butter dish. We also had a bottle of Champagne (chilled) and I managed to find some plastic wine flutes which looked just the business! We had a whole roast chicken, tiny tomatoes, thinly sliced cucumber and breadsticks with a variety of dips. We also had a whole pineapple (sliced) and the inevitable strawberries with the Fortnum and Mason cream (which we decanted into the glass cream jug. It was a criminal shame to actually eat all this food, the table looked so good!

It’s all very well doing the food like this, but we had to pose (in our tee-shirts and Union Jack hats) whilst sitting at this table, for numerous photo shoots of passers-by who couldn’t quite believe their eyes!

To be honest, it doesn’t really matter to us what musical acts are performing. Most of the fun of the Proms in the Park is the friendly banter, and interaction that goes on with those around you, and of course, the last hour, when we join up via giant screen to the Albert Hall, for the finale that everyone knows and loves. However, I have to say that this year was probably one of the most musically enjoyable Proms I have yet been to.

We began the evening with the Bootleg Beatles, who had everyone rocking in the aisles. That was probably just a
s well, because it was a trifle chilly! We had several orchestral pieces from the BBC Concert Orchestra throughout the night, beautiful singing from Lesley Garrett, the opera singer. She not only sang popular opera songs, but also a selection from the famous London Musicals, like “On My Own” from Les Miserables. She was joined by the equally talented Argentinian opera singer, Jose Curras, who was absolutely brilliant.

This year, the Park was wowed by the Ladysmith Black Mambaza singing group, who made 3 short appearances on the stage at various times during the evening.

The whole evening was held together by Terry Wogan, who does a splendid job every year. His most famous quote in the years I have been going, was “Well at least it isn’t raining” just as the heavens opened!

Of course the highlight of the whole night is always the singing of the patriotic tunes when we join up with the Albert Hall. It is a wonderful sight to see all the flags waving, and people on their feet for “Land of Hope and Glory” and “Rule Britannia”, as well as “Jerusalem” and “Auld Lang’s Syne”.

At the end, as everyone files out to the various railway and tube stations, the party continues, with the playing of “It’s such a lovely day….I’m glad that I shared it with you”. We also get a wonderful fireworks display, which of course they miss out on at the Albert Hall.

CONCLUSION

The Last Night of the Proms in the Park is for me, a highlight of the year. I begin looking forward to the next one as soon as the current one is finished.

Tickets go on sale in May for the current season’s event. I usually book mine just as term finishes in July, but it is best not to leave it too late, as there is a capacity limit of around 40,000, and every year it is a sell out.

This year, I booked my tickets on-line, but yo
u can also book by ringing the Albert Hall and booking by credit card, or calling at the Albert Hall in person. I believe you can also book by Ticketmaster.

This year, the price was £17.50 per ticket. There was a 50p booking fee, which meant the cost was £18.00. Considering the entertainment goes on from 5.30 pm until almost 11.00 pm, this is very little to pay for a jolly good afternoon and evening out.

Of course, the weather plays its part. We have sat there in shorts and tee shirts, and we have been there dressed for winter. The umbrellas have been utilised, but thankfully not that often.

If, like me, you enjoy community singing, and fancy seeing the Proms in an informal setting, I don’t think you can beat the Proms in the Park. Indeed, I think we get a better variety, and a better atmosphere in the Park, than they do at the Albert Hall.

After all, 40,000 people can’t all be wrong, can they?

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