The HCP Garden Festival will be going on during my visit to London and, as a keen backyard gardener, I'd love to attend. My question: Is it worth going for the whole day or is a (cheaper) 3pm ticket enough to satisfy? I'm just a bit reluctant to dedicate a whole day to the Festival but will, if a 3pm entrance ticket really won't give a decent experience.
Thanks!
Posted by
Preston UK
1147 posts
I've not been to the RHS' Hampton Court show but I have been to several other RHS events. I would expect this to be a big show with a great deal to see and I would struggle to see what I wanted only arriving after 3pm. However, in your situation with presumably a limited time to see all you want to see and if the price was significantly discounted I would contemplate doing that.
As you might have seen on another thread I would put it as more interesting than the Chelsea Flower Show!
Posted by
OP
Michigan, USA
12 posts
Thanks for the reply, Johnew52.
The Festival is 10am-6:30pm. Full day ticket cost is £36.85 while a 3pm ticket is £28.85 (non-member pricing).
More so than the cost, my dithering is mostly centered on whether to give up an entire day to the activity. But I do love gardening...!
I don't know just how big this particular Festival is, and if it can be "done" well enough in 3.5 hours.
EDIT: I have been considering going round the Palace itself for the earlier part of the day, then going into the Garden Festival. The last time I visited HCP was about 5 years ago and I didn't see as much as I would have liked due to an untimely hip injury which limited my tolerance of extended walking periods.
Posted by
Preston UK
1147 posts
Assuming the Palace itself is open as normal on garden festival days I would then go for the full day - Palace in the morning and festival after 3pm. But hopefully someone with more detailed knowledge of the festival will be along to help.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8859 posts
For the rest of us who are wondering if it would coincide with our trips, the Dates are July 4-9th.