Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park

Hi Joci,

I live fairly close by to Marble Arch (speakers corner) and regularly pass by. You are correct that the speaker activity happens on Sunday.

There are usually about 5 or 6 separate speakers, each with an audience of about 50 people or so.

As the nature of it is that it's open to the public, you'll get all kinds of topics; some more logical and coherently presented than others.

I'm not sure I'd spend any precious holiday time listening to random wild rantings....if you're interested in politics, maybe a trip to parliament might be a better fit?

It's more ranting than debate, only on a Sunday and not something I would take a 12 year old to.

Watch Question Time on the BBC on a Thursday evening if you want a public political debate. There's only one topic being discussed at the moment - Brexit and it's getting rather tedious.

" I am fascinated by politics/world events and listening to other people's opinions."

The last time I was there it was people ranting about religion, no politics and with pretty "ripe" language sometimes, definitely not something I'd take a 12 year old to.

Thank you very much for the informative replies. I will probably steer away from it this trip. We have enough ranting over here at home right now as it is.
We did the audio tour of the Houses of Parliament last year and we both found it fascinating. I remember my son commenting that night when we were watching TV and they showed it in session, "I saw that today!" and became glued to the TV.
As always, this forum is such a help for me as I am planning my trip overseas. I get so much information.
Thank you once again - Joci

Its heyday has past I think. Much less reasoned debate, much more shouting and shrieking and heckling. Much more religion than politics now. However, it depends who turns up on any week. Of course you can get up and speak too.

Don't be dissuaded by the negativity go for it! It's an unique one of a kind attraction. Passed by it a couple times on previous trips and was thoroughly entertained. It's an awesome scene.
The only thing remotely similar in the US used to be the Black Israelites who used to hang around Times Square in the Big Apple. You could argue anything with them. They mysteriously disappeared a couple years ago:(

The one and only time I went to Speakers' Corner, years ago, apart from the religious nuts, there was a man billing himself as "The World's Most Tattooed Man". Even his ears were covered with tattoos. It was gross. Of course, nowadays every restaurant in Montreal has waitstaff with almost as much "art" inked on them.

Michael, it seems the Black Israelites re-located from Times Square to the corner of Franklin and Alvarado at the Monterey (CA) Farmer's Market. (OK, maybe other places as well.) I heard there was recently a nearby vendors' petition to the market coordinators about them, not related to their content, just their volume, which drowned out conversations between vendors and their customers. This past week, things were quieter.

Spent a couple of hours on Sunday last week sitting in a deck chair in the sunshine listening to people at Speakers Corner (they were behind us as we were sitting in the grassy area). Even the those who were "ranting" were much more polite than what we see on our TVs on a regular basis in the US. And the discourse we saw with the listeners was also fairly civil. Certainly nothing that I would have been afraid to expose my children to when they were 12. Actually, it would be a great opportunity to discuss not only the different topics raised, but also the different ways in which people respond to those with whom they disagree. Particularly interesting to me were the conversations with a Muslim speaker on the weekend after the election of a Muslim to be mayor of London.

Thank you all for your thoughtful and informative replies. I am not sure if we will make it to Speaker's Corner (we have a lot going on that day) but I will take all your comments into consideration. I travel not only to see the beautiful scenery but also to be exposed to other ideas and cultures. I want my son to be exposed as well. I just like listening to other people's ideas and viewpoints.

Let me weigh in on the side of, if not skipping Speaker's Corner entirely, budgeting just a few minutes to walk by. My wife and I were in London two summers ago (and will return to England in about six weeks) and found Speaker's Corner to be no great shakes. Of course, you might have a different reaction based on any number of factors, including the speakers themselves, but if you stroll by on your way somewhere else you can at the least place a check next to that item on your list of famous London sites.