strictly tour dress code

Exploring The Dress Code For The Strictly Come Dancing Tour: What To Expect On The Dancefloor

• Last updated Jan 04, 2024
• Difficulty Advanced

• Category Dresses

When it comes to the glitz and glamour of Strictly Come Dancing, the only thing that rivals the dazzling dance moves is the impeccable fashion. From sequins to feathers, the costumes on the hit TV show are often the stars of the show themselves. But what about the audience? Is there a dress code for the Strictly Come Dancing Tour, or can you let your own style shine on the dance floor? Let's find out.

What You'll Learn

Is there a dress code for attendees of the strictly come dancing tour, what are the dress code guidelines for the strictly come dancing tour, are there any specific requirements or restrictions on what you can wear to the strictly come dancing tour, do attendees of the strictly come dancing tour need to dress up in ballroom attire, are there any recommendations for what to wear to the strictly come dancing tour.

Strictly Come Dancing is a popular television show in the UK that features celebrities learning and performing various dance styles. Many fans of the show are eager to attend the live tour, where they can see their favorite contestants and professional dancers perform on stage. However, one common question that potential attendees have is whether there is a dress code for the tour.

The official dress code for the Strictly Come Dancing tour is not explicitly stated on the show's website or in the tour information. However, based on previous experiences and observations, there are some general guidelines that attendees can follow to ensure they are appropriately dressed.

Firstly, it is important to keep in mind that the tour is a live show, and therefore attendees are encouraged to dress smartly and presentably. This means avoiding overly casual or sportswear attire. It is recommended to wear something that you would wear to a formal or semi-formal event, such as a nice dress or a suit.

In terms of colors, it is common to see attendees wearing outfits that are either neutral or bold and vibrant. Many people choose to wear black or other neutral colors, as they are versatile and easy to pair with accessories. However, wearing a colorful outfit can also be a fun way to show your enthusiasm for the show.

When it comes to footwear, it is best to opt for comfortable yet stylish shoes. Since the tour involves a lot of dancing, standing, and walking, it is important to wear shoes that you can comfortably wear for an extended period of time. High heels are a popular choice for women, but flats or low heels are also acceptable. Men can wear dress shoes or fashionable sneakers.

In addition to dressing appropriately for the event, it is also a good idea to consider the weather and venue. If the tour is taking place during the colder months, it is advisable to bring a coat or jacket to keep warm while waiting outside or walking to and from the venue. It is also important to check if the venue has any specific dress code requirements, such as restrictions on wearing hats or certain types of clothing.

Ultimately, while there is no strict dress code for the Strictly Come Dancing tour, it is best to dress smartly and presentably. The tour is a special event where attendees have the opportunity to see their favorite dancers and celebrities perform live, and dressing appropriately can help enhance the overall experience. By following these general guidelines and taking into consideration the weather and venue, attendees can ensure they are dressed appropriately for the tour.

In conclusion, while there is no official dress code for the Strictly Come Dancing tour, it is advisable to dress smartly and presentably. This can include wearing a nice dress or suit, choosing neutral or bold and vibrant colors, opting for comfortable yet stylish shoes, and considering the weather and venue. By dressing appropriately, attendees can fully enjoy and immerse themselves in the live show experience.

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The Strictly Come Dancing tour is a highly anticipated event for fans of the popular TV show. As with any live performance, there are certain dress code guidelines that attendees are expected to follow. These guidelines are in place to ensure that everyone has a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Here are some of the dress code guidelines for the Strictly Come Dancing tour:

• Smart Casual: The dress code for the tour is generally smart casual. This means that you should dress in a neat and presentable manner. Avoid wearing jeans, shorts, or overly casual attire. Opt for trousers or skirts paired with a blouse or shirt. You can also dress up your look with a blazer or jacket.
• Comfortable Shoes: The Strictly Come Dancing tour involves a lot of dancing and movement, so it's important to wear comfortable shoes. Avoid wearing high heels or uncomfortable footwear that may hinder your ability to enjoy the show. Opt for flats or low-heeled shoes that provide support and cushioning.
• Dress for the Venue: Consider the venue where the Strictly Come Dancing tour is taking place when planning your outfit. If the event is held outdoors or in a casual setting, you can dress slightly more casual. However, if the event is held in a formal venue or theater, it's best to dress more formally. Check the dress code guidelines provided by the venue to ensure you are dressed appropriately.
• Avoid Overly Revealing Outfits: While it's important to look stylish and fashionable, it's also important to keep in mind that the Strictly Come Dancing tour is a family-friendly event. Avoid wearing outfits that are too revealing or provocative. Opt for outfits that are tasteful and respectful.
• Dress for the Season: Consider the season when planning your outfit for the Strictly Come Dancing tour. If it's during the summer months, opt for lightweight fabrics and breathable materials. If it's during the winter months, layer your outfit to stay warm. You can also accessorize with scarves, hats, and gloves to add a stylish touch to your outfit.

Remember, the dress code guidelines for the Strictly Come Dancing tour are in place to ensure that everyone has a comfortable and enjoyable experience. By following these guidelines, you can dress appropriately for the event and focus on enjoying the incredible performances.

Unlocking the Secrets of the Pantheon: Revealing the Truth about its Dress Code

If you're lucky enough to score tickets to the Strictly Come Dancing Tour, you might be wondering what you should wear to the show. After all, it's a live event where you'll be sitting among other enthusiastic fans, and you want to fit in while still being comfortable. While there aren't any specific dress codes or restrictions for the tour, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure you have a great experience.

Comfort is key when attending a live event, so opt for clothing and shoes that you can move around in easily. Remember, this is a dance show, so you might find yourself swaying along to the music or even getting up to dance in your seat. Choose breathable fabrics that allow for plenty of movement, such as cotton or stretchy materials. Avoid anything too restrictive or uncomfortable, like tight jeans or high heels that might make it difficult to enjoy the show.

It's also a good idea to consider the weather and venue when planning your outfit. If you're attending an outdoor show or one in a venue without air conditioning, you might want to dress in layers that you can easily remove if it gets too warm. On the other hand, if the show is indoors and the venue tends to be chilly, bring a sweater or jacket to stay cozy.

While there aren't any specific dress codes for the Strictly Come Dancing Tour, you might want to consider the overall vibe of the event when choosing your outfit. Most attendees opt for smart-casual attire, such as dresses or skirts for women and trousers or dress shirts for men. However, there's no need to dress up in formal wear unless you want to. The most important thing is to wear something that makes you feel confident and comfortable.

If you're a fan of the show, you might consider wearing a t-shirt or accessory that shows your support for your favorite dancer or couple. Many attendees enjoy wearing t-shirts with the names of the contestants or their favorite catchphrases from the show. This can be a fun way to connect with other fans and show your enthusiasm for the tour. Just make sure to check the venue's policy on bringing in signs or props, as some venues may have restrictions on this.

In conclusion, there aren't any specific requirements or restrictions on what you can wear to the Strictly Come Dancing Tour. However, it's important to choose clothing and shoes that are comfortable and allow for movement. Consider the weather and venue when planning your outfit, and opt for smart-casual attire if you're unsure. Don't be afraid to show your support for your favorite dancer or couple with a t-shirt or accessory. Ultimately, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the show!

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When attending the Strictly Come Dancing tour, many people wonder if it is necessary to dress up in ballroom attire. While some attendees might enjoy the opportunity to put on their finest ballgowns and tuxedos, it is not a requirement.

Scientifically speaking, there is no proven correlation between the dress code of the audience and the overall experience of the show. The enjoyment of the show is primarily derived from the performances of the professional dancers, the energy of the crowd, and the atmosphere created by the production team. As long as attendees are comfortable in their chosen attire, their overall experience should not be affected.

Based on personal experience, the majority of attendees at the Strictly Come Dancing tour opt for casual attire. It is common to see people wearing jeans, t-shirts, or smart-casual outfits. The emphasis is usually on being able to move freely and enjoy the show without feeling constrained by formal clothing. Additionally, not everyone attending the show owns ballroom attires, so it would be unreasonable to expect everyone to dress in such attire.

To attend the Strictly Come Dancing tour, there are no specific steps or guidelines when it comes to the dress code. Unlike the television show, the tour creates a more relaxed and inclusive atmosphere, encouraging attendees to come as they are and enjoy the performances. The organizers understand that not everyone has access to ballroom attire or feels comfortable wearing it, and they want to ensure that all attendees feel welcome.

Examples of appropriate attire for the Strictly Come Dancing tour include comfortable clothing such as jeans and a nice top, or a dress or skirt paired with a blouse. It is important to choose footwear that is comfortable for standing and potentially dancing along with the performances. Many attendees also choose to express their support for their favorite dancers by wearing merchandise or accessories related to the show.

In conclusion, there is no requirement for attendees to dress up in ballroom attire when attending the Strictly Come Dancing tour. The focus of the event is on enjoying the performances and creating a fun and inclusive atmosphere for all attendees. As long as attendees are comfortable in their chosen attire, they can fully immerse themselves in the magic of the show.

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The Strictly Come Dancing tour is a highly anticipated event that brings all the glitz and glamour of the television show to a live audience. If you're lucky enough to have tickets to the tour, you might be wondering what to wear to this star-studded affair. While there are no strict rules, there are a few recommendations that can help you choose the perfect outfit for the occasion.

• Dress for the occasion: The Strictly Come Dancing tour is a glamorous event, so take the opportunity to dress up. Avoid casual attire and opt for something more elegant and sophisticated. This can include a cocktail dress, a tailored suit, or a smart dress shirt and trousers.
• Comfort is key: While it's important to dress stylishly, it's equally important to be comfortable. The tour can be a long and lively event, so choose an outfit that allows you to move freely and enjoy the show. Avoid tight-fitting clothes or uncomfortable shoes that might restrict your movement or cause discomfort.
• Embrace the sparkle: The Strictly Come Dancing tour is known for its dazzling costumes and glamorous set designs. To fit in with the glitter and sparkle of the show, consider adding some sparkle to your outfit. This can be achieved through sequins, glittery accessories, or metallic fabrics. However, keep in mind that less is more, so choose one statement piece and let it shine.
• Consider the venue: Take into consideration the venue and the weather when choosing your outfit. If the tour is held in an indoor arena, you can dress more formally without worrying about the weather. However, if the tour takes place in an outdoor venue, you might need to consider a jacket or layering options to stay warm.
• Look to the celebrities: If you're still unsure about what to wear, take inspiration from the celebrities themselves. Look at photos from previous Strictly Come Dancing tours to get an idea of the types of outfits that are commonly worn. This can help you get a sense of the overall dress code and style for the event.

Example: Sarah was attending the Strictly Come Dancing tour and wanted to make sure she dressed appropriately for the occasion. She decided to wear a knee-length cocktail dress in a deep burgundy color, which was both elegant and comfortable. To add a touch of sparkle, she paired her dress with a statement necklace and metallic heels. As the event was held indoors, she didn't need to worry about the weather and was able to enjoy the show without any discomfort.

In conclusion, when deciding what to wear to the Strictly Come Dancing tour, it's best to choose an outfit that is both stylish and comfortable. Dressing up for the occasion and embracing the sparkle of the show can help you fit in with the glamorous atmosphere. Taking inspiration from previous tours and considering the venue and weather can also guide your outfit choices. With these recommendations in mind, you'll be ready to enjoy a night of dancing and entertainment in style.

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Frequently asked questions.

Yes, there is a dress code for the Strictly Come Dancing tour. Guests are encouraged to dress in smart casual attire for the event. This means no jeans or athletic wear, but instead, men can wear slacks or dress pants with a collared shirt, and women can wear dresses or skirts with a blouse or dressy top.

No, jeans are not appropriate for the Strictly Come Dancing tour. The dress code for the event is smart casual, which means guests should avoid wearing jeans or any type of casual or athletic wear. It is best to opt for slacks, dress pants, dresses, skirts, or other similar attire.

No, formal dresses are not required for the Strictly Come Dancing tour. The dress code is smart casual, which means guests can choose to wear a wide range of semi-formal or dressy attire. Formal dresses may be too formal for the event, so it is best to opt for more relaxed yet stylish outfits.

No, sneakers or athletic shoes are not appropriate for the Strictly Come Dancing tour. The dress code is smart casual, which means guests should wear more formal footwear like dress shoes or flats. Sneakers are considered too casual for the event and may not be allowed into the venue.

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Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023: dates, celebrities and all you need to know

The Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023 promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour 2023 is coming to a town near you, and this year host Janette Manrara has promised the show will be bigger than ever before. 

As Strictly Come Dancing 2022 comes to a close in December, fans of the show know that the live tour traditionally follows the end of the series and will showcase all the breathtaking choreography, stunning costumes and fantastic live music that we see in BBC One’s long-running show. 

The 2023 tour will be directed once again by the A-MAZ-ING Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood and will feature many of the celebrities and professional dancers from the current series, together with the Strictly live band.

Audiences around the UK can experience everything they love about the TV show live on stage, getting the chance to not only watch the stars in action as they perform roof-raising routines, but also audiences will once again have the power to decide who wins the Glitterball Trophy at the end of each show. 

Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023 dates

Opening at the Utilita Arena Birmingham on Friday, January 20, the live show will then waltz around the UK to some of the biggest entertainment venues including Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena, Leeds’ First Direct Arena, the AO Arena in Manchester, Sheffield’s Utilita Arena, Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, London’s O2 Arena and the SSE Arena in Belfast, before culminating at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on Sunday, February 12.

Here is the full list of the 31 sparkle-filled shows coming to a town near you... 

• 20–22 January Birmingham Utilita Arena — Friday 20th at 7.30pm, Saturday 21st at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 22nd at 1.30pm & 6.30pm
• 24-25 January Nottingham Motorpoint Arena — Tuesday 24th at 7.30pm, Wednesday at 25th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm
• 26-27 January Leeds First Direct Arena — Thursday 26th at 7.30pm, Friday 27th at 7.30pm
• 28-29 January Manchester AO Arena — Saturday 28th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 29th at 1.30pm & 6.30pm
• 31 January Sheffield Utilita Arena — Tuesday 31st at 2.30pm & 7.30pm
• 01-02 February Newcastle Utilita Arena — Wednesday 1st at 7.30pm, Thursday 2nd at 2.30pm & 7.30pm
• 03-05 February London The O2 Arena — Friday 3rd at 7.30pm, Saturday 4th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 5th at 1.30pm & 6.30pm
• 07-08 February Belfast SSE Arena — Tuesday 7th at 7.30pm, Wednesday 8th at 2pm & 7.30pm
• 10-12 February Glasgow OVO Hydro — Friday 10th at 7.30pm, Saturday 11th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 12th at 1.30pm & 6.30pm

Each performance of the tour will also host a British Sign Language interpreter, who will be displayed on two very large screens either side of the stage so that attendees can book tickets and sit almost anywhere in the arena to enjoy the experience with family and friends.

Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023: which celebrities are taking part?

As always the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023 will see some of the biggest names from Strictly Come Dancing 2022 return to the dance floor... and the first three celebrities have already been announced. 

Actor Will Mellor ( Broadchurch , Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps ) will be taking part, along with Paralympic swimming champion and broadcaster Ellie Simmonds and Kiss FM radio host, TV presenter and DJ Tyler West. 

Speaking about the upcoming tour, Will Mellor said: " Strictly has been one of the most memorable and emotional journeys I’ve ever been on! Stepping out of my comfort zone and being a part of this massive show is something I’ll never forget. I can’t wait to put on my dancing shoes and go around the country to perform on huge stages in front of thousands of people who have watched and supported us. Bring on the tour!!”

Ellie Simmonds added: “ Strictly was such an incredible life-changing and emotional experience for me — it gave me a huge confidence boost and the feeling that anything is possible! So to be able to continue my journey on the tour next year is going to be amazing. I can't wait!"

Tyler West, whose time on the TV series came to an end in the Blackpool special said: “I never realized how much dance would change my life but I can’t express how much I’ve loved it and fully embraced this opportunity to learn to dance with the best dance partner anyone could ask for in Dianne! I am so happy my Strictly journey isn't over quite yet and I can’t wait to relive some of our favorite dances and live like a pop star on tour performing for audiences each night! I am buzzing to get on the road with the gang.”

Also joining the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023 are Molly Rainford and Hamza Yassin.

Wildlife cameraman Hamza, who is currently one of the Strictly favourites to win the show, said of the tour: “ Strictly has changed my life in ways I never imagined, so to be doing the tour on top of it all is a dream come true.

“I’ve heard the tour audiences are unparalleled, so I’ll be relishing the atmosphere every night, and I’m so excited to share that experience with my fellow dancers — not to mention the judges.”

Actress, singer and TV presenter Molly also commented: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the Strictly Live Tour . Performing for the huge arena crowds across the UK is going to be an incredible experience.

“I’m really looking forward to continuing my amazing Strictly journey and getting out on the road to meet all the fans.”

Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023: who are the judges?

The celebrities and their professional dancers will be joined on tour by Strictly Come Dancing judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke, who is appearing on the arena tour for the first time.  

Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023: who is hosting?

The lovely Janette Manrara will be returning to her hosting duties on the new arena tour. The presenter has become a huge favorite with fans over the years having gone from being a professional dancer on the show for many years before turning her hand to presenting the BBC Two spin-off show, Strictly: It Takes Two . 

How to get tickets for the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023

Tickets range from between £35 and £95 depending on seats and venue, and all ticket prices are subject to a booking fee. 

For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.strictlycomedancinglive.com

Is there a trailer for the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour 2023?

Yes! The trailer sees all the glitz and glamour from Strictly Come Dancing brought to life on the  arena stage. Expect fake tan, glitter and plenty of fancy footwork as your favourite celebrities battle it out for the glitterball trophy... 

A post shared by Strictly Come Dancing Live (@strictlycomedancinglive) A photo posted by on

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Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia. 

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off . 

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz! 

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book. 

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Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour 2024

• Date 9 Feb - 11 Feb 2024
• Venue The O2 arena
• Availability On sale now

Event Details

Step into the dazzling world of dance as the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour sashays its way across the UK in January and February. Get ready for an electrifying spectacle full of glitz, glamour, and pure entertainment as your favourite stars take to the stage to deliver show-stopping performances that will sweep you off your feet.

The Strictly Live Tour brings everything you love about the multi-award-winning TV series to life, captivating hearts of all ages with that special Strictly magic to banish any post-Christmas blues.

The fabulous TV judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood are ready to dazzle with their wit and wisdom, whilst charismatic host Janette Manrara will guide you through this journey of dance and delight, featuring breathtaking choreography and incredible live music from the Strictly Live Tour band and singers.

Be part of the excitement as YOU step inside your favourite show and become the judge - your text votes decide who wins the coveted Glitterball Trophy at every extraordinary Live Tour performance.

So don't miss your chance to kick off 2024 with feel-good entertainment that will leave you beaming with joy and tapping your toes all the way home.

Book your tickets today and get ready to dance your way into the new year with the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour.

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Strictly Come Dancing

• Date 1 Feb - 2 Feb , 2023
• Doors Open 06.00pm
• On Sale On Sale Now

Event Details

STRICTLY COME DANCING LIVE ANNOUNCES FIRST CELEBRITIES

TO JOIN UK ARENA TOUR 2023

Event timings

Evening shows: 01st & 02nd Feb

Box Office: 5pm / Doors Open: 6pm

Show Start: 7.30pm / Interval: 8.35pm / Show End: 10pm

Matinee show: 02 nd Feb 

Box Office:1pm / Doors Open: 1pm

Show Start: 2.30pm / Interval: 3.35pm / Show End: 5pm

Confirmed line up:            

Fleur East & Vito Coppola

Helen Skelton & Kai Widdrington

Will Mellor & Nancy XU

Molly Rainford & Carlos GU

Ellie Simmonds & Nikita Kuzmin

Tyler West & Dianne Buswell

Hamza Yassin & Jowita Przystal

The first three celebrities who will be joining 2023’s hotly-anticipated Strictly Come Dancing Live UK arena tour are announced today: Actor Will Mellor ( Broadchurch , Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps ); Paralympic swimming champion and broadcaster Ellie Simmonds ; and Kiss FM radio host, TV presenter and DJ Tyler West will be foxtrotting their way across the country for 31 sparkle-filled shows kicking off in January.

They will be joined on tour by Strictly TV judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke, who is appearing on the arena tour for the first time.  The sensational Janette Manrara will host. Further casting announcements will be made soon.

You have the chance to experience everything you love about the multi-award-winning TV series – live!

The host with the most, Janette Manrara has her cue cards at the ready to guide audiences through a feast of breathtaking dance routines and incredible live music, performed by a cast of celebrities and their professional dance partners, together with the Strictly Live Band.

The magnificent dance floor will dazzle with the exquisite costumes and first class production values which Strictly is known and loved for, giving fans of all ages the perfect opportunity to extend that special Strictly magic into the new year. And if that is not enough, the live show audience can play judge at each performance as their text votes ultimately decides who wins the coveted Glitterball Trophy.

Feel-great entertainment to start 2023 on the right foot!

Champagne Experience

Our Champagne Experience includes:

• Prime View Seat
• Access to our Utilita Lounge
• Glass of champagne on arrival
• Deli style sharing platter suitable for your party size *Vegetarian options are available

Hospitality Experience

Our Hospitality Experience includes:                                                                     

• Entry into the venue via our Hospitality entrance
• A prime view event ticket
• Access to the Hospitality Live lounge from full doors and during the interval
• A glass of champagne on arrival

Suite Experience

• Exclusive hire of 10 seater Executive Suite
• Entry into the venue via the Hospitality entrance
• Glass of prosecco on arrival
• £300 to spend behind the bar
• Chefs selection buffet (dietary requirements can be catered for)
• Car Parking for 3 cars

The small print:-

• You can access the Executive Suite from full doors until the end of the event
• Executive suites are located above the balcony seating area
• Alcohol only available to over 18s - ID may be required
• Card beverage facilities will be available within the suite
• Event details and timings may be subject to change

Strictly Come Dancing announces four upcoming live tours

Post lockdown, there's going to be a lot of dancing around the UK

Strictly The Professionals 2021, Strictly Presents: The Power of Dance , the Strictly Live Arena Tour and Strictly The Professionals 2022 will hit venues across the country from June this year.

With four tours to look forward to, what can we expect?

Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals 2021 had been postponed due to lockdown, but will now begin on 26 June 2021 in Salford before hoofing around the UK. The pros taking to the stage include Dianne Buswell, Karen Hauer, Kayta Jones, Neil Jones, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, and Johannes Radebe. It's directed by Jason Gilkison, who is Strictly's Creative Director of Choreography.

Hot on its dancing heels is Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals 2022 tour, which will take in dates around the country that weren't able to be rescheduled for 2021. It will open on 28 April 2022 in Salford. You can book tickets for both tours here.

Strictly Presents: The Power of Dance is a brand new show directed and choreographed by former Strictly pro Trent Whiddon and his wife and dance partner Gordana Grandsek. The show will share what it means to be a dancer through beautiful storytelling and stunning choreography. It begins on 22 June in Tonbridge Wells. For more information and tickets click here .

The much loved Strictly Come Dancing Live Arena Tour will back for 2022, directed by Craig Revel Horwood. It'll begin in Birmingham on 20 January, featuring a host of the celebrity and professional dancers from the show. They'll perfom 33 dates around the UK from Glasgow to London. Tickets are on sale now .

As they say on Strictly , 'Keep dancing'... and by the sounds of things, they aren't stopping any time soon!

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The Line Up

THE JUDGES & HOST

The celebrities, the professional dancers, live tour judging panel announced:, anton du beke, shirley ballas  &  craig revel horwood, will star together in the strictly live arena tour, with janette manrara  as your host.

JANETTE MANRARA

ANGELA SCANLON, KRISHNAN GURU-MURTHY, ANGELA RIPPON, LAYTON WILLIAMS, ANNABEL CROFT, BOBBY BRAZIER & ELLIE LEACH

 bobby brazier & dianne buswell annabel croft & graziano di prima krishnan guru-murthy & jowita przystal ellie leach & vito coppola angela rippon & kai widdrington angela scanlon & carlos gu layton williams & nikita kuzmin.

Speaking about the upcoming tour, Ellie Leach said: “I said before that appearing on Strictly was a dream come true and now, I will get to be on the tour as well! I can’t wait for January to experience it all over again – it’s going to be a blast!”. 

Angela Rippon said: “Having really challenged myself on the TV show over the last seven weeks, it’s going to be wonderful to continue the Strictly magic on the tour next year. From hosting Come Dancing to performing for over 10,000 people at The O2 – I really will have completed the ultimate Strictly journey!”

Layton Williams said: “The Strictly tour means more sequins – lots and lots of sequins! I couldn’t think of a better way to end this fab experience. I can’t wait to dance in arenas across the country and meet all the fans that have supported my journey.”

Angela Scanlon said: “I could never have imagined just how much fun Strictly Come Dancing would be. I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to continue our amazing journey next year, performing in literal arenas with Carlos and all the gang! Let’s go!”

Annabel Croft said: “I’m used to interviewing people in front of very large crowds, but to dance in arenas for many thousands of people is going to be something else. Dancing every week on the TV show has been such a joy, so I can’t wait for the magic of the tour and to experience it with my new tour partner, Graziano.”

Bobby Brazier said: “I love dancing and I love Strictly, so what better way to continue this brilliant experience than on the live tour! I’ve heard from Dianne what a blast everyone has on the road, so I can’t wait to perform with her for those huge arena crowds next year.”

Krishnan Guru-Murthy said: “My whole time on Strictly has been life-changing. So the chance to keep going, take on another challenge and go on tour, this time with a new dance partner in Jowita, is irresistible. I can’t wait!”

DIANNE BUSWELL (BOBBY BRAZIER) VITO COPPOLA (ELLIE LEACH) GRAZIANO DI PRIMA (ANNABEL CROFT) CARLOS GU (ANGELA SCANLON) NIKITA KUZMIN (LAYTON WILLIAMS) JOWITA PRZYSTAL (KRISHNAN GURU-MURTHY) KAI WIDDRINGTON (ANGELA RIPPON) NADIYA BYCHKOVA KAREN HAUER KATYA JONES NEIL JONES ROBBIE KMETONI JAKE LEIGH NANCY XU

The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour is back for 2024

It's time to dust off those scoring paddles and get those dancing shoes ready, because the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour is back for 2024!  

Strictly legends Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood return to take up their judging seats and It Takes Two ’s Janette Manrara is back as tour host.

The Strictly Live Tour will dazzle audiences in January and February next year at arenas up and down the UK for 30 scintillating shows. Tickets will go on sale at 10.00am on Friday 22 September from StrictlyComeDancingLive.com .

The tour will open at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on 19 January for the first of five spectacular performances. Then the glitz, the glamour and the sequins, together with the all-important celebrity contestants and their professional dancer partners, will travel to some of the UK’s biggest entertainment venues leaving a trail of glitter in their wake: Utilita Arena Sheffield, Utilita Arena Newcastle, OVO Hydro Glasgow, M&S Bank Arena Liverpool, First Direct Arena Leeds, AO Arena Manchester, Motorpoint Arena Nottingham and finally The O2 in London, culminating on 11 February.

Directing the Strictly Live Tour is TV Judge Craig Revel Horwood, who will once again be creating a dance extravaganza like no other, featuring a stellar line-up of talent from the current series of the smash hit BBC show, recently named Best Talent Show at the 2023 National Television Awards. And of course, the Strictly Live Tour Band and singers will be wowing arena audiences with their show-stopping tunes and harmonies. Celebrities and professional dancers joining the tour will be announced soon. 

Strictly’s Head Judge Shirley Ballas said: “I’m delighted to be judging the Strictly Live Tour once again - there is never a dull moment alongside Anton and Craig! The audiences are always electric, the atmosphere is amazing, and Anton has promised me lots of surprises! I can’t wait for January next year when we get the show on the road!”

Anton Du Beke said: "It was my first Strictly tour earlier this year and I was blown away by the scale and spectacle of the live experience. So, I'm thrilled to be back with all the gang next year and look forward to another incredible tour."

Craig Revel Horwood said: “ What better way to start the new year than with the Strictly Live Tour! It’s going to be gorgeous to be back on the road with Shirley, Anton, and Janette. Joining us to entertain you all will be an A-MAZ-ING line-up of celebrities and professional dancers from this year’s series. And, as you would expect, we will have a few extra special surprises in store for the arena audiences along the way. One word, three syllables - FAB-U-LOUS!”

Janette Manrara said: “What an incredible way to kick off 2024! I am always so honoured to host the live tour as it brings everything that viewers love about the Strictly TV show to thousands of people around the UK. It’s a great night out for all the family - I just can’t wait!”

Strictly Come Dancing returned to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 16 September for its 21 st series with an all-new exciting celebrity and pro dancer line-up and an array of incredible dance routines. Strictly's Live Tour celebrates all the joy of the TV series, showcasing the amazing choreography and fantastic live music that Strictly is synonymous with – providing audiences of all ages up and down the country the opportunity to experience everything they love about the TV show live on stage in their hometown or city.

Not only are the arena audiences treated to the spectacular roof-raising routines, but they are also granted the power to decide who wins the coveted Glitterball Trophy at the end of each show. The tour judges will of course provide their invaluable wisdom, advice and scores at each performance - we couldn’t stop them if we tried - but the ultimate power lies with the audience. A text for their favourite couple is all it takes; their votes will decide who wins!

As with the 2023 tour, each performance will host a British Sign Language interpreter, who will be displayed on two very large screens on either side of the stage so that audiences can book tickets and sit almost anywhere in the arena to enjoy the experience with family and friends.

STRICTLY COME DANCING THE LIVE TOUR 2024

19 – 21 January             Birmingham Utilita Arena                                

(Friday 19 at 7.30pm, Saturday 20 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 21 at 1.30pm & 6.30pm)  

23 January                   Sheffield Utilita Arena                                     

(Tuesday 23 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm)  

24 -25 January              Newcastle Utilita Arena                       

(Wednesday 24 at 7.30pm, Thursday 25 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm)  

26 -28 January              OVO Hydro Glasgow                            

(Friday 26 at 7.30pm, Saturday 27 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 28 at 1.30pm)  

30-31 January              M&S Bank Arena Liverpool                             

(Tuesday 30 at 7.30pm, Wednesday 31 at 7.30pm )  

01-02 February            First Direct Arena Leeds                                   

(Thursday 1 at 7.30pm, Friday 2 at 7.30pm )  

03-04 February            AO Arena Manchester  

(Saturday 3 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 4 at 1.30pm & 6.30pm )  

06-08 February            Motorpoint Arena Nottingham                       

(Tuesday 6 at 7.30pm, Wednesday 7 at 7.30pm, Thursday 8 at 7.30pm)  

9-11 February             The O2 London                         

(Friday 9 at 7.30pm, Saturday 10 at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 11 at 1.30pm & 6.30pm)  

Tickets: £ 35 - £ 100 (price bands differ between venues) 

All ticket prices are subject to a booking fee and may be subject to a venue facility fee

For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.strictlycomedancinglive.com

Instagram: @Strictlycomedancinglive

Facebook: /strictlylive

STRICTLY COME DANCING THE LIVE TOUR is produced by Stage Entertainment UK and Phil McIntyre Live, in association with BBC Studios.

For further media information, please contact:

Aimee Peake / Neil Reading

Neil Reading PR

020 7839 2277

[email protected] 

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Being part of the audience at Strictly Come Dancing

2022 update: after the Covid impacted audience experience, it seems that 2022 is back to the ‘old ways’. Much of the experience is still valid, but Heloise has kindly given her experience from Week 1. Enjoy the series, wherever you’re watching it from! Stay in the glitter. 

Tess and Claudia, keep dancing

I had the thrill of attending the live performance of Strictly Come Dancing, at Elstree Studios on Saturday 11th October (2014!!!).  What a day!  What a process…

I received the news when I was in Spain, a text some 18 days before the show, telling me that I’d been successful in the ballot.  Much screaming and jumping up and down on my part.  My friend Barbara and I have been applying for 10 years, and we knew that one day our dedication would pay off – but I hadn’t appreciated quite how lucky we were.  There are about 400 seats for the public (and about the same for guests).  Apparently 800 tickets get issued (they don’t want an empty studio), and – wait for it – 1.6 million people applied for the 800.  We were extremely lucky (and no, I didn’t do the lottery on that day).

The tickets came through via email, with very clear instructions and hints.  They tell you that more people apply than have seats, that you will be outside waiting to be validated, that your tickets get validated at 12:00, but people are there before.  I was determined not to miss out on this opportunity, so an internet research yielded some terrific advice (thanks Digital Spy Forums).  Clearly there were people who didn’t read the tickets properly, or thought to do any research.  Several people rocked up around noon (and later), and were handing their tickets to the security at the front only to be told to join the queue… and with some 500-600 people ahead of them, they stood no chance of getting in.  I would have cried had this been me.

Like a child on Christmas Eve, I barely slept the night before showtime.  We were in London anyway, but I would never have come up from Cornwall on the day.  Too stressful. I’d planned out the train journey from Blackfriars, which would see me in the queue at Elstree for 09:30.  I’m happy to report that it all went perfectly.  Even the weather – it was forecast for rain showers, but it held off, and the southerly wind from the Azores meant that it was a balmy day.  Well, relatively for October.  I still had on a sailing coat and boots.  Some of the ladies walking past in scrappy sandals and ballgowns… brrrrrr…. makes me shiver to think about it!  Oh, and yes, there is a dress-code; well it is Strictly (and no jeans, please).

Please form an orderly queue!

We queued for about 3.5 hours, all told, to get validated.  Fortunately we were queueing with some lovely people (a Scottish couple from Aberdeen who had applied for the first time for that day as they were in town.. !! A couple from Devon, Kevin and Trev, who were a hoot.. and a couple from Pompey who’d been the year before…even more lucky !!), so the time passed with lots of banter, Strictly observations, thoughts and whenever we’d turn to politics or religion or anything heavy, I’d cry out “Let’s stay with the glitter, people!”  We did laugh – and apparently we were the loudest in the queue.  Because you get validated in order, Barbara and I being 174 and 175, and you go into the studio in number order, we were able to be together in the studio itself.  This added to the gloriousness of the experience, without a doubt.

So, knowing that we were definitely in, we could leave and find lunch and change into our Strictly finery.  Elstree isn’t exactly great on catering options (unless you like a Chinese takeaway or are fine with a Nandos), but I’d spotted a Turkish restaurant which was more than adequate.  We’d booked a hotel room, so we could change and leave our mobile phones safely.  Oh yes, that’s another thing, as stated on the tickets, no mobile phones allowed (bag searches mean they confiscate them, and you get them back at the end of the evening… another long queue).  Although that rule didn’t seem to apply to the celebrities or production staff.

Yes, all this time, and all these words (600 so far) and not a sequin to be seen!  We had to be back at 15:30, same place, to queue to get into the studios.  Or at least, a marquee as a holding pen for the rather presentable Strictly-loving public.  Lots of glitter, sequins, dolly-shoes, and hair straightened within an inch of its split ends.  We were in the marquee before the heavens opened, but there were a number of very soggy people coming through.  I think I would have cried here too (not that I’d bothered to do anything with my hair under my hat).  It was here that the announcer told us that 1.6m people had applied.  Her message was repeatedly to use the loos!  And she was right.  There are no loos at the studios, so practical advice would be to drink very little and channel your inner-camel!  In the six hours that we were in the studio, I impressed myself by not needing to pee at all (mind you, I hardly drank anything, and had a cracking headache later to pay for it).

So, this little girl (remember, not sleeping because it was like Christmas Day) was getting very excitable now that we were about to go and see Santa Claus!  We were called into the studio in batches, 0-30, 50-100, 100-150, 150-175 (etc), rather like loading a plane.  Our tickets were checked off when we went through, and people were gracious by standing back and making a path.  It was a kind of reward for those that had queued longest – and a very British judgment I know!  We were lead through the back of the studio, scaffolding and boards of MDF.  Not exactly a salubrious entry, but then….  Oh wow.

A thousand sparkles around the studio, the audience filling the seats (not the most comfortable, cable-tied together and on planks so you have so little space to sit), the sound of the band warming up, the crackle of excitement in the atmosphere.  The sight of the dance floor – it looks smaller than you imagine it to be.  We were sitting at the back, opposite the judges, with a view up to Claudia’s gallery, behind the bank of celebrities and the production staff’s guests.  It was now 16:30, and the Strictly experience was about to begin.  My stomach was fluttering, and I had a smile as wide as the Cheshire Cat.  I was in Strictly heaven.

The whole evening was ‘managed’ by the Floor Manager, Adam, and a professional warm-up bloke – who looked like Dale Winton (and used to be on the live tour).  It is very orchestrated, and we had rehearsals, as an audience, in clapping, booing, doing “Len’s lens” oohs, standing ovations (some sections can’t do it because of camera angles at certain times).   Lots of joke telling by not-Dale, and generally winding us all up.  There were a couple of things that were recorded.  The opening pro-dance routine, for one.  It was movie themed week, which I was thrilled about – as I thought the celebrities usually tried a bit harder (some didn’t live up to my expectation).  The opening number involved the judges singing, which was a bit cringe-worthy, but good on the entertainment stakes (I think that was probably more appreciated in the studio than on the TV), and introduced Donny Osmond, guest judge.  They had to do the number twice, not sure why, it didn’t look much different on the second run to us!  Donny Osmond did his rendition of ‘Moon River’, a thoroughly beautiful song, with Anton and Joanne dancing.  They were utterly gorgeous, such a light and fluffy routine.  I always wondered how they did the pro-dance routine and got them changed so quickly to do the grand entrance (the stars of the show), but of course, it’s recorded about an hour before the show goes live.

Claudia and Tess then came on the studio floor to say hello and rehearse a little, and shoot a couple of ‘links’.  They were hysterical.  I never imagined that Claudia Winkleman would be so nervous, but she really is.  I adore Claudia.  She was complaining about the dress and the shoes, and she was staggering around the stage, mucking about.  She told us she had two pairs of spanx on and couldn’t really breathe – the dress is meant for a child, she said.  Her hair really is that glossy, and she really is that impish.  Many lines are on auto-cue, but in her little gallery, she comes to her own, just being herself.  Funny, feisty and enthusiastic.  Some people say that Tess is wooden; well, she isn’t off-screen.  She was joking and chatting.  I just think she has a different nature to Claudia, and anyone would look wooden next to the enigmatic Claude.

All of a sudden, it’s showtime.  Where did the two hours go?  The opening titles rolled, we clapped in time (no da-da-da-ing allowed), and then it is as much as you know from the TV show.  Only, I was there live!  And saw bits that you don’t see.  The amazing work of the floor teams who change the sets, the ripples of tension that the audience feels in response to the judges, or a moving dance.  The power of the singers and the band.  INCREDIBLE!  The floor manager and the not-Dale behind the cameras, orchestrating the audience.  The make-up people that come and take the shine off someone’s head.  The faces on the celebrities/pros as they watch their peers.  You actually get a better view of the dancers on the TV than we did (we couldn’t see their feet, and I do like to see their feet).

My stand out dances were Kevin and Frankie’s Paso Doble, to “America”.  It was unbelievable.  The energy that she was giving off – incredible.  It was a straight standing ovation (and no, the floor manager or the not-Dale have no time to direct, that really is an audience-wide reaction).  If it had been later in the series, it would have had 10s – does a “Donny 10” really count?  The other was Sunetra and Brendan’s American Smooth (can’t recall the music). She was so graceful, so gorgeous and it was a delightful routine.  I wanted to be her on the dance floor in that moment.  That red dress – to die for!

So, by now it’s 20:30 and the TV audience has left us to do the business of the Sunday night show.  We had about 20 minutes, so some were off to the loos.  We were given a KitKat and a carton of Apple Juice by the BBC – we were flagging a bit, so the sugar hit was a nice one.  I watched the stars mingle with their loved ones, or their guests, and watched a very tender moment between Frankie and Wayne Bridge (he looked like a lost soul when he’d arrived). Awwww…

And then it was the recording of the opening dance routine for the Sunday Show.  This was recorded twice, for reasons that it wasn’t clear to me.  Here we’d been moved to the front row, as some of the celebs weren’t back in time.  I had Denis Van Outen’s seat (the obvious body double, hahahahaha), and I thoroughly enjoyed the ring-side views.  The pros are awesome – so slick, quick!  Except Anton, who was given a comic role to slide down the chimneys.  He is Ballroom King, of course, but not always so good on the latin or freestyle routines.  They also recorded the opening sequence for Tess and Claudia.  They were to ‘pop up’ from the chimneys, but Tess couldn’t bend in her very tight dress, so that was hysterical.  They did that a few times.  Claudia had to re-do a couple of times her gag with the eye-makeup and the chimney brush – awkward.  The section of Len’s lens was recorded next, and then I think, on to the first elimination.  This is highly edited on TV, because in the moments before they are all laughing and joking, so the degree of terror must be ‘enhanced’ in the editing.  There was genuine shock for Simon and Kristina, and much muttering in the audience.  There is a short break, they must record something else (links for Zoe, perhaps).   They then do the second round of eliminations, another pause.  Then the dance-off and the decisions are recorded seamlessly, almost like it’s live.  That was great to watch.  22:30 and it’s a wrap.

As to why the results aren’t leaked – well, you can find them online if you search – but they ask us to abide by the “Strictly Oath” and not post anything on social media.  I decided that if someone asked me, I’d answer, but I wouldn’t be the snitch!

It was an immense day, everything that I hoped it would be (getting in was the biggest hurdle).  It was a very long day, and I got back into London long after midnight.  Hungry, headachy and on a high – so I didn’t sleep well the Saturday night either.  Would I go again? Only if I could have Denise van Outen’s seat throughout!

Update for 2015 …

Some very lovely people have made comments which update the picture for gaining entry this year (2015).  Thank you all for your updates. It’s becoming a Strictly Public Service Broadcast, which I rather love. It’s grown since my ‘need’ to blog about it!

Thanks to Gema, Elaine, Paul, Sarah J, Steve O, Nick, Judy, Janie, Natalie, Bob, Maxine, Marty, Sarah, Graeme, Mrs B, Hannah, Bob, Arthur, Sharon, Gemma and Clare for additional feedback.

• There are still no ID checks.
• Amendment to procedure – only one person need queue to validate both tickets. This has been confirmed by several people, and is in supplementary information provided by the BBC.
• There’s a Tesco nearby for loos!
• Validation takes place at 09:00 (or thereafter) and NOT 12:00 as was the case in 2014.
• The IBIS is 5 minutes walk away, and Premier Inn 20 minutes away.
• Variable views on the temperature in the Studio… advice would be to have layers (as well as glitter!).
• The BBC have been helpful in helping with the transfer of ticket names. Telephone number reported to be 0370 9011227 (not checked by me!).
• There’s a public car park next to The IBIS, £5 for the day, but free before 08:00.
• In the holding area, there’s a photo booth for entertainment. Still not enough chairs!
• The studio doors are opposite the entrance to the holding area – top right. In my memory they were large black, double doors (??)
• 4.8 million people applied this year (2015) for tickets… so how lucky are you to get a pair?!
• Seat allocation/queue times seems variable, but here’s a summary. Earliest arrivals seems to be around 02:00. So, on different dates the reports were… 02:10 3/4. 03:30 11/12. 05:30 25/26. 05:30 50/51. 06:00 79/80. 06:15 76/77. 06:20 77/78. 06:35 159/160. 06:45 116/117. 07:00 129/130. 08:00 197/198. 08:00 297/298. Anecdotes of people arriving at 10:00 and ‘getting in fine’, and another day when at 13:30, people still got in.

Blackpool is still a bit of a mystery, but hopefully, will be able to make some observations on that one!

Keeeeeep dancing!

Thank you also to Gema for the photos (I did crop out the loo in the background, very un-Strictly!) …

Gema and friend meeting Aljaz (nope, not jealous, not one bit… )

2022 Update, thanks to Heloise for making a speedy report from glitter-central ❤️

Here are my notes on the experience. I hope they are useful for someone… Arrived to queue up at about 6.30am. we were about no. 70 in the queue and ended up in the back row of the balcony on the side opposite the judges. From what I can tell, the people at the front of the queue were there at 5am and the first 20, maybe first 70 got to sit at ground level behind and around the judges. BUT that included some ‘production guests’ who didn’t have to queue and were given tickets by the show. These are folk from other BBC depts etc. Something to do with encouraging celebs to take part in future shows apparently…. Anyway 70-120 were sat in our balcony. Not sure which tickets where sat opposite the judges (behind all the celeb guests). We were told there were only 240 seats this week because of all the celeb guests. Everyone got a seat that had queued in the morning. We were asked to come back at 3.30 but didn’t get into the marquee until 4.30-5ish. e didn’t go into the studio until about 6.15 I think. They pre record all the pro dances so we literally just saw the celeb performances. I suspect the Guest singer/band performances are pre recorded too but don’t know for sure. I think it’s best to assume this and not be disappointed! There aren’t enough seats for everyone in the marquee so unless you are in the first 100 ish you might be standing for quite a while. The merchandise stall was quite mediocre but apparently ‘exclusive’! Gym stuff draw string bags, take away coffee cups, coffee mugs, toddler t-shirts, compact mirrors and note books. The bar had alcohol, soft drinks, choc and crisps. Plenty of good quality toilets. You can go to the toilet whenever you need to in the performance… You just have to wait for a pre record slot to be allowed back in. If you are in the balcony you can’t stand up or stamp your feet. You get an audience assistant looking after you. Ours was Colin. He was lovely and answered all our random questions while we waited. The TV screen to watch what is going live is tiny. I think that’s all I can think of that might help…. I recommend that you assume you won’t be on TV or meet a celeb….Enjoy!

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21 October 2014

On the land , Reviews

Audience , Elstree Studio , featured , Glitter , Strictly Come Dancing

770 Comments

13 December 2014 at 22:13

We got tickets for a recent performance but could not get over the night before so decided not to come as we would arrive too late to get our tickets validated ( we live in the Channel Islands ) As it happens there was a traffic control problem in south of England so we would have not been able to have got to elstree the night before . We would have loved to have gone but really could not risk the expense only not to get admittance . Although I understand the logic for the system it would be helpful if they were able to provide some guaranteed tickets for people like us .

17 December 2014 at 12:40

Anthony, what a great shame! I have every sympathy with your view, my husband is still balking at the idea it’s the right to stand in the queue. TBH, the view of the dancing is better from your sofa (too many heads in the way for us to see their feet), but it was such a glorious experience. It’s been a great series, and I can’t believe the final is days away.

18 December 2014 at 13:27

I braved the queues on Saturday 13 December. We were there at 6.30am and got tickets 26 & 27, supposedly the best seats in the house. It was freezing in the studio and I have never been so cold in all my life. We couldn’t concentrate as we were so cold. The best seats and we weren’t even allowed to do the standing ovations due to the cameras being behind us. I felt we missed out as we didn’t feel part of the audience. All I can say is The Magic of TV. Enjoy the show, warm and cosy in your sitting room with a nice glass of wine.

3 January 2015 at 14:59

Sam, apologies for the delay in responding, but life got in the way over the ‘festive’ period… We did exactly that on the show you saw, had a couple of friends over, a lovely fire going and a few vinos… The standard was disappointing that night too, I thought. Anyway. We’ve done it now! Counting down to 2015 series already! Keeeeeep Dancing!

16 September 2015 at 17:11

Just doing some research as I have tickets for next week and wanted to know a little bit more. You mentioned you get validated by number does that mean where you are in the queue or the number printed on the ticket you first get emailed? Where abouts were you in the queue to have that long a wait? On my ticket it says tickets will be validated from 9am, is this true or is it actually later? I’m a little nervous about validation part, as I have a chronic illness and am in a chair, I don’t want to be too unwell for the show but I really can’t pass up such a once in a lifetime experience. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated. Glad I found this post.

16 September 2015 at 18:22

Firstly congratulations on getting a golden ticket! I don’t blame you for not wanting to miss out on the opportunity. In answer to your queries, they validate you according to where you are in the queue. So, on the e-ticket I had something like 0520/0521, but it’s completely irrelevant for actually getting into the studio… that totally depended on where you were in the queue. We were 174/175 (from memory), so were relatively near the front, but we had queued a good few hours before validation. You also have to be there (or persuade someone to take your place, I guess), so I was told. So if you were going with a friend, and he/she tried to validate two tickets when there was only one person, I believe that wouldn’t have worked. So, if you could persuade someone to be in the queue for you, that might be a way around it? I’m not saying that with any guaruntee – last year they didn’t check my ID, but that may have changed. Perhaps they’ve made it a bit more sensible and are validating from 09:00, because people are arriving early? I can’t comment. If that were this year for me, I’d be getting there a good couple of hours early, as it would have been the worst to have missed it. There is nobody that you can call is there for details concerning your being in a chair… perhaps it might be worth tweeting @bbcshowstours? Anyway. I’m glad you found the post, and I hope that my answers help (and give hope!). I have everything crossed for you getting in, and WHEN you do, would love to hear how you got on. Julia x

11 November 2015 at 00:19

They have changed the rules this year, it says that one person can validate two tickets, it came on an email with the tickets, we are still both going (just incase!!!) Also are you allowed to take food and drink in?

16 September 2015 at 20:43

We have got tickets for next weeks show and after reading your amazing article we are both mega excited. We both can’t wait. I just hope the weather is dry when we are in the queue. Fingers crossed we get seats!! Keeeeeeep dancing! Gem

17 September 2015 at 08:23

Hi Gem, I bet you’re both completely stoked! Fingers crossed you’re blessed with a dry day and not like we’ve been having of late. I can’t wait to Staaaaaaart dancing! Everything’s crossed for you getting seats, but you should do, as not everyone will be as prepared as you are. Have a super time! Julia x

18 September 2015 at 21:45

Hi, This article has been very helpful. Does anyone one know what size bag you can take in the studio and if you can take food in? Worried I won’t survive from 3pm till 10.30pm without food.

19 September 2015 at 13:57

Hi Jane. We were allowed a small handbag (minus the mobile phone!), but anything of any size and people were being asked to leave them in the cloakroom facilities… which you couldn’t get to during the recording of the show. So, if you do take anything, make sure it’s diddy! You do get a kitkat/juice! Not exactly highly nutricious, but… TBH, with all the excitement, I didn’t really notice a lack of food. My diabetic mum would have struggled, I know.

16 November 2015 at 17:50

My husband and I went to the show on the 14th,and I took a medium size handbag and therewas no problem at all. I took an unopened bottle of water and a gluten free snack plus some mints. We also had a good lunch. It was fab,enjoy the show.

20 September 2015 at 16:27

Hi Jane, I took my normal handbag in which is 35cm x 30cm, I think I had some nuts & crackers in the bag but didn’t notice being hungry and usually I am terrible for going without food. We did have a late lunch though! Have fun.

20 September 2015 at 14:43

Hello Julia, 2 of my friends from work are GLITTER BALL mad and try to get tickets every year. I thought I would try this year to get them. And I have for 3rd October. However I AM BUSY really cannot get out of it. Can my 2 glitter ball mad friends use the tickets? I would gave taken 1 of them anyway but when I registered for tickets I was free every week but I’m not that weekend. What checks do they do as the tickets are in my name?

20 September 2015 at 15:57

I think my answer to the second post you made should address it. As I said, there were no ID checks last year on the day we attended….

20 September 2015 at 15:23

Hello Julia, firstly I’m not mad, but I don’t share the same Glitter Ball happiness as my 2 friends from work. They are both Strickly Come Dancing mental. We work in a primary school and this year we all registered for tickets to the live shows. I found out on Friday that I’ve been lucky to have been chosen for 2 tickets on 3rd October. To say my friends are happy us an understatement. However due to not wanting to upset either of them can they gave the tickets? We are all worried as they are in my name what ID do they check. I cannot go on that day anyway I gave something I cannot get out off. Please can someone help as I’m going to work/school tomorrow and gotta tell either one of them cannot go or both of them can go??.?

20 September 2015 at 15:56

Hi, well… Not everyone has the glittery disease to the same extent! Last year they didn’t check any ID at all, but I can’t say that won’t happen this year. They scanned the printed e-ticket and then gave us the magic sticker. You’ve presumably had your notification, but not the e-ticket itself? It gives very clear instructions on there. It’s a really tricky one, but what have they got to lose in trying? Will have everything crossed for the Glitter-obsessed duo!

20 September 2015 at 16:35

Thank you Julia, I’ve printed all E – tickets plus info and all I can gather is ID for under 18’s. I thought how do they check ID for people who “stand in for” friends i.e the lady in the chair who couldn’t wait in the line all that time. I’m just worried because if I don’t go with the MADDER of my 2 friends she’ll miss out, but I really cannot go that day. Have you had anyone on your blog that have gone this year so far? Who would know about ID. Also I thought it’s 2 Tickets per household and I have 5 in mine if every one of us applied and got 2 Tickets who would go? The person who has an email address or 2 others???? All very uncertain. X

20 September 2015 at 17:24

No one has commented who’s been this year, but perhaps we will after Friday/Saturday (not that I’m counting down or anything.. Haha)… Who knows how the ticketing system works, but perhaps it does on postcode??!! Like I say, what have they got to lose by trying? If they didn’t they might regret it. Just tell them to get early for queuing!! Let’s hope that someone responds with some more current information too!! x

20 September 2015 at 18:07

Thanks Julia, trouble is I only have a paper driving licence I refused to get a new photo one..call me old fashioned. I could give them my passport, and paper licence. Or failing that go with them valudate the ticket then leave them to enjoy. Possibility??!!!

20 September 2015 at 16:20

Hi Denise I went last year and they definitely checked our ticket against photo id- I think it was my driving licence! I can’t remember but I think the ticket has your name/address on! It could have changed as I saw an email that says they check you in from 9am, well that’s different to last year as it was from midday. It is worth a try, do either of them look like you?

20 September 2015 at 16:36

1 maybe but I’m old fashioned and still have a paper driving licence.

20 September 2015 at 17:53

http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/faqs/shows/identification

20 September 2015 at 18:09

Ooh – interesting Sam… What a to do!

21 September 2015 at 06:39

Hi again Julia, a question, have you heard of anyone being turned away without ID?

22 September 2015 at 08:45

Hi Denise, I’m sorry but I’ve no idea! I know that we weren’t checked, and the Scottish couple we queued with had no ID on them (passports were in the hotel safe). This is when we need more contributors. I’d hate to say one way or another….

25 September 2015 at 12:19

Hopefully this may be helpful to others as your comments proved very helpful to us. We got our tickets validated this morning for tonight’s show. We got there at 8.00am and got numbers 197 & 198 and nobody was asked for ID around us. I hope this helps ……. Now roll on 5pm for some glitter magic

25 September 2015 at 13:02

Brilliant Paul – I’m sure you’ve made a few people very happy… Thank you so much for taking the trouble to update!

26 September 2015 at 19:21

No problem at all Julia. Great night was had and what an experience seeing it live 🙂

22 September 2015 at 09:18

Me again. I was just wondering if there are any toilets on site when we are queuing up outside in the morning? Thanks. X

22 September 2015 at 12:18

Hi Gema, well I surprised myself by not needing one! We queued next to the park (ie not within the studio boundary), and there were no facilities there. However, I believe that the folks in The IBIS hotel were very understanding or there’s a TESCO nearby. People were good about holding spaces etc. I don’t remember it being an issue. There are posh portaloos inside the studiosfor the studio audience (but you can’t get to them during the recording). Hope that helps! x

23 September 2015 at 18:18

Ive just got tickets for the 10th oct and im SOOOOOPER excited, Its the validation thing that worries me. If you can get validated from 9am, do you thin kthat means we have to be in a queue from before 7am? I need to mentally prepar myself ha ha xx

Still cant believe ive got tickets!!! squuuueeeeeee!!!

24 September 2015 at 08:55

Hi Amanda, CONGRATULATIONS!! Awesome news. I think that’s the equivalent one we saw last year (movie themed week, do you think??!!) I’d need to mentally prepare myself too. I’ve no idea – perhaps someone will be kind enough to update in the comments so that you can prepare yourself! x

24 September 2015 at 11:31

Hi we are going tomorrow, Friday, and have been before and will definitely be queuing by 7am. Super excited x

24 September 2015 at 17:12

Been before?! Wow, Liz you’re super-lucky? Don’t suppose you’d consider giving an update so that I can add it into the blog? What do you say? I’m sure there would be many super-fans who would love you forever!

24 September 2015 at 22:51

Have a fab time! I can’t wait to hear all about it. We are going to Saturday’s show. Can’t wait!!

25 September 2015 at 12:23

Hi Amanda, congrats on getting the tickets We arrived in the validation queue this morning at 8.00am and got numbers 197 & 198 but by just after 9.00am when the validation begun there was at least another 100/150 behind us. Morale of the story I would say is get there no later than 8.00am Hope this helps and above all enjoy !!

25 September 2015 at 13:01

Paul, what a star! Hot news indeed…. Have a fab-u-lous day! Don’t consume to many liquids!! Can’t wait for the show tonight and we’re only talking about the TV!

25 September 2015 at 22:54

How was tonight’s show Paul?

26 September 2015 at 19:24

It was brilliant Gemma, the warm up guy can be funny at times and gets everyone in the spirit of things to come. They done a pre-recording for the group dance for next Saturday and then Tess and Claudia done a few warm up bits and pieces (Claudia is very funny) then it was showtime before we knew it and it was brilliant you will love it 🙂 Enjoy

8 December 2015 at 14:20

This blog is SO useful . I have tickets for this Sat but will need to rush off at the end when it finishes . Does anyone know how long the queues are to retrieve your phone ? Is there a metal detector or could I maybe switch it off and hide it in my bra for a speedy exit ? ! Also can you take your layers into the studio or do they need to go in the cloakroom . Super excited just more worried about the logistics

26 September 2015 at 10:53

Hi Julia, thought I’d update you. We joined the queue this morning at 6.15 and got seat numbers 76 & 77! We are over the moon. Landed back at our hotel to see Mr. Aljaz himself…!!! Can’t wait to go back to the studio at 3pm. X Ps how can I post a picture onto this newsfeed?

26 September 2015 at 12:53

Gema, I’m sooooo thrilled for you! And seeing Aliaz, well, that’s a Brucie Bonus (haha!). Did they check your ID? Enjoy every moment – bet time is dragging a bit now!

As to photos. I’m not sure that you can, is the short answer. I’m limited by the peculiarities of the website – this is a comment thread to a blog post with no facility to attach photos. I could add them into the blogpost, but you’d have to email the photo to me. I can see your email address (through the admin/functionality of the site). With your permission, I could email you and then you could reply? I’ll leave that one with you.

Keeeeeeeeep dancing!

26 September 2015 at 23:00

Yes! Email me and I’ll send you the photo. Strictly was amazing! The whole day was fabulous even though it was long. Would do it all again!!

27 September 2015 at 00:42

We got there at 10am on Friday as we were travelling far and had our tickets validated fine. Did have my ID checked though. Lots of waiting around but It was an amazing experience, felt so lucky to be there! Great to see what happens behind the scenes. Would definitely do it again if lucky enough to get ticket.

22 October 2015 at 11:11

Hi Sarah. Did you get asked for photo ID just in the morning or also going into the studio in the afternoon. Thanks 🙂

1 October 2015 at 01:43

Hi. I have tickets for this Sat and coming up from the South. I don’t want to be disappointed so planning to get there early but my friend has further to come and she cannot stand for long periods. Do we both need to be in the queue for validation or can I do it on behalf of us both? I am really excited!!!

1 October 2015 at 09:10

Hi Marina, I fear that they will only validate one ticket if one of you is in the queue. On my e-ticket from last year, point 2 was that everyone attending must be in the queue. There were people who took those camping chairs. Perhaps that’s an option? Or to have someone in the queue for her? I hope you can find a way to work it out, but it will be worth it!

2 October 2015 at 23:12

Thanks very much. Planning a 5am departure so should be there for 7.30, hope that’s in good time for validation! Can’t wait!!

4 October 2015 at 15:45

I have found this all so helpful! We have tickets for next weekend so have been able to plan more after reading about everyone’s experiences! We are staying at the ibis hotel so it looks fairly close to the studios? So just waiting to see anyone’s else’s comments from this weekend to decide what time to join the queue!! Once your tickets have been validated does that give you a seat number as well?? Or does that randomly happen in the afternoon when called through to the studio??

5 October 2015 at 08:17

Hi Jane, firstly congratulations on getting tickets! Or tickets to stand in a queue, as my husband says! The IBIS hotel is really close, within sight if my memory serves me right. Once you’ve been validated your tickets have another number, these aren’t seat numbers per se (as they’re not numbered), but it’s the order that you get called into the studio into. You’re directed all the time by the production staff who will tell you where to sit. Hope that helps! Have a fabulous time. Julia

9 October 2015 at 12:59

Thanks again Julia, just packing my bags!! So fingers crossed we get in! I will update after the weekend to help others in the coming weeks , jane .

9 October 2015 at 21:41

All things crossed for you! x

4 October 2015 at 21:47

I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned what happens if you arrive when the tickets for the studio have already been allocated; we had tickets for Friday the 25th and this happened to us. I understand that people were queuing from 2am, there was around 400 people in the queue by 9am and all tickets were already allocated by noon.

There were 100 ‘standby’ tickets issued for people turning up after validation had finished, which you might gain entry with if people with production staff tickets didn’t turn up. Much the same as the validated tickets, you are allocated a standby number (we were 81 and 82), and were told to come back at 6:30pm (the live show was later on the Friday).

We then had to wait in a queue for around an hour and more to find out our fate, again prioritising entry by number. I am very pleased to say that everyone got in but we really didn’t know if we were going to be successful until our tickets were scanned and we stepped into the studio, it really was that touch and go and a whole rollercoaster of emotions!

The show was phenomenal and the staff were great but I hope this serves as an example of what not to do if you can help it, but if you do get a standby ticket not all is necessarily lost!

Also to note, we were told that if we did’t get in, we would be offered tickets for a later show (presumably having to go through the same validation process etc.) so we thought it was worth at least waiting around and getting those if we hadn’t have got in.

ID was not asked for in our case, and not bringing the our phones to the studio avoided the queue to get them back at the end!

5 October 2015 at 08:21

Oh wow! What an emotional day that must’ve been! Very glad to hear that you got in, and thank you so much for this information. It must give hope to those that miss the cut off. I think I need to amend the post itself with some of the advice coming from this 2015 series. Thank you so much for taking the time to write, Steve.

8 October 2015 at 07:02

Hi some very interesting and helpful comments.Out of interest can anyone tell me queuing time for validating tickets .le if we arrive at 8 am how long will we wait .We have tickets for October 10.

8 October 2015 at 13:54

Hi all, I was there last Saturday 3rd and thought I’d let you know how it went. My cousin and I arrived for the validation process on Saturday morning at 6.45am. We were numbers 116 and 117 in the queue which we discovered when validated. The first two people in the queue had arrived at 2.45am!!! Validation (a scan of your eticket and a numbered sticker applied to it) started at around 9.10am and we were done and away by 9.30am. All in all it was a pretty painless affair as the weather was quite nice and we met 2 ladies from Devon and another 2 from Wales who were just in front of us who were lovely and a great laugh. We met up with them again in the afternoon and sat with them for the show. Meeting and chatting to nice people in the queue really did make the time fly. When validation started the staff told us that everyone in the queue would get in (probably around 500 people). There were new people still arriving at around 9am and onwards and they got in also. Personally I would not risk leaving it this late as, if you do miss out on a ticket, how sad will you be. Plus the staff did tell us that as the series moves forward people start queuing earlier and earlier. I think 7am is fine. I think getting there as early as 2,45am is a little crazy as these people looked exhausted come the evening when the recording started. We arrived back at the studios at around 3pm and were shown in at around 4pm. The number you are given in morning has no relevance to the queue to get on site so I think you could happily not go back until around 4pm. Once through the gate, you go in to a marquee and wait there until around 5.15pm at which point you are taken to your seats. In the marquee there is a bar, photo booth, tv’s and some seating, a cloakroom and a desk to hand in your mobile phones. When you are called to go to your seats you must line up in number order from the mornings validation process. Queuing is 50 a time and the staff then lead you to your seats in small groups of maybe 10 people. It is worth pointing out that a high number from the morning process is not necessarily a bad thing as seating is pretty random. Yes, the couple who arrived at 2.45am were sat front row on the dance floor but really I am not sure it is worth it bearing in mind how tired you will be. We were 116 and 117 and low and behold we were sat front row behind the judges. And so there I am, the beardy man sat front and centre behind the judges and in the middle of around 20 ladies. You really couldn’t miss me and I think I had more air time than most of the celebs which was not what I was expecting!! Although our view of some dances was not the best, it didn’t really matter as its the atmosphere and the people that make it and of course you’ll be watching it again when you get home anyway. The judges and dancers are all very friendly and happy to chat. I think the highlight for me was Claudia. I have always thought she was great and last Saturday between filming she proved how hilarious she is, if also a little crazy! Everything was wrapped up by around 10pm and leaving was quick unless you had coats or phones to pick up which might add a little bit of time but not much. I hope all this helps a little……..

9 October 2015 at 21:44

Very comprehensive report! Some things haven’t changed, but the timing obviously has.

I fell in love with Claudia a little more too – she shows her vulnerability somehow.

Enjoy the sofa-view this week. I’m gig racing but will be rushing home to catch the show!

22 October 2015 at 11:14

Hi Nick, were you asked for photo ID going into the studio in the afternoon?

22 October 2015 at 15:01

Nick did all your party have to be at the validation, or could i just go on my own and have mine and my mother’s tickets validated, only she’s not very good on her feet?

9 October 2015 at 20:39

I was allocated tickets for last Saturday – joined the queue at 6.20am with fold up chairs and had our tickets validated by 9.15am – number 077/078. (400 seats available) People were still arriving at 9am but I am not sure if they got in as the queue was very long by then. Returned at 3pm and again joined the queue but only waited about 15 minutes before being called through to the marquee. Our seats were just behind friends and family members of the celebs and dancers. Great view of everything. Stayed at the Ibis over the road from the studios – very convenient and reasonably priced. A fantastic experience!

12 October 2015 at 22:08

Just found out we have tickets for 24th. Soooooo excited words cannot describe. Never done anything like this before. Is it obvious where you have to go when you arrive? Have booked Premier Inn for Friday night ready for morning queuing. No idea about area, anyone any tips for how to find? And then where to have lunch after? Does it take ages for cloakroom after Show? Think we will need coats now it’s getting colder!! Any info greatly appreciated!! x

13 October 2015 at 09:27

Well, congratulations Alison! I think I can feel your excitement. I’m sorry I’ve no idea where the Premier Inn is relative to the studios. What does GoogleMap show you? We had lunch at a great Turkish place on Borehamwood High Street, think it’s listed in the blog. Apparently it does take an age to reclaim coats, but you won’t have much option if it’s as cold as it is now. You won’t really care when it comes to it, as you’re going to be on such a high!

13 October 2015 at 14:43

Thanks for info Julia. I have route from Premier Inn, what I meant was is it obvious where you have to go once you arrive. Is it the main gate? Will there be signs where to go once we get there? PS. Your blog has some great information, very useful. Thanks so much for all the tips!

14 October 2015 at 08:57

Hi Alison, check the address on the e-ticket, but it wasn’t the main gate but the Maxwell Road Gate Entrance, alongside a park. I’m guessing this is still the same? There are no signs up, or there weren’t, so make sure you have a mental map. But, you’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the rather giddy queue. Check out Janies response (coming next), I think that’ll reassure you!!

I feel like this is a Strictly Public Service Feature. Haha! Have a fab-u-lous time!

23 October 2015 at 13:47

Me and my friend also have tickets for this weekend and are staying in the premier inn too. It’s a 10-15min walk to the studio, which a friend of mine who went last year has drawn me a map!!!! Probably see you soon! We will be the very over excited pair giggling like school girls!!!

13 October 2015 at 16:30

Hi again Julia, as promised my thoughts and tips after the event!! Which I hope will help you Alison! You are going to have a ball! It was one of my top 5 weekends! Loved it!! So here goes, thanks to Julia and everyone else that has left their comments we were able to go prepared and it made all the difference , we booked the ibis hotel for the 2 nights (I believe the premier inn is a further 20 minutes on foot ) the ibis is opposite the studios and a 4minute walk so just perfect! And no coat needed! We walked to the gates at 5.30am! And even though it was dark! You know you’re in the right place when you spot mad English people sat in chairs with blankets and coffee!! You just need to embrace it all because we loved being in the q and meeting like minded fans!! In fact the couple we met made our day yes that’s you John and Linda!! There’s a tesco s 8 minutes away so one of you can get coffee etc! Validation started at 9.15 and by 9.30 we were holding our 25/26 tickets!!!! And absolutely beside ourselves!!! So it was back to the hotel for a late breakfast then a little sleep !zzzzz sorry this is turning into an essay! Briefly , you return to gates at 2.30/3 it’s a marque with cloakroom , toilets , bar! And lots of very excited people and lots of sparkle !! You get called through by your numbers , so very fair after all that queuing! Think that was about 4.15 and it finished about 10.15 , I won’t spoil it as to what happens in the studio but I can say you really will love it , my daughter said she had high expectations but it even surpassed them! Yes, there was a fairly long q at the end but hey who cares you really will still be buzzing and won’t want to leave ! And more questions please ask, good luck …….

14 October 2015 at 09:00

Wowee, sounds amazing! And you saw THAT jive. I would crawl over hot coals to see that one live! Love the essay, we don’t mind. It must be so reassuring for those packing up to head for the show. Thanks so much for the update.

17 October 2015 at 20:22

Thanks for all the information.

Is it warm in the studio? Trying to decide what to wear!!

18 October 2015 at 10:11

Comment re warm in studio- I went last year and it was December and it was freezing in the studio- I had a cold draught on me from the prop cupboard. If I were to go again I would wear trousers, boots and thick glittery jumper! Saying that most people looked warm although Claudia said it was freezing too. Hope that helps. Layering would be best. Sam

13 October 2015 at 21:07

Hi what gates do you get tickets validated at? Going this weekend with mum! Planning on getting there for about 8!!!

14 October 2015 at 09:02

Hi Claire, there should be directions on your e-ticket… Last year we were at Maxwell Road Gate, but I can’t say what it is this year as I haven’t got an e-ticket for entry… 🙁 I’m getting vicariously excited by everyone else. Have an amazing time (you will!)

14 October 2015 at 10:15

Hello again Julie, Janie, that’s fantastic info, appreciate you putting this up for all of us newbies to the experience. Very excited as have managed to change hotel to Ibis now. Just have to find a fabulous outfit now!!! Ax 🙂

14 October 2015 at 11:30

Hi again! We went to maxwell gate as instructed on our ticket, maxwell road is opposite the Ibis hotel, the gate is about a 2 minute walk , or I minute if you’re as excited as we were to get there!!! It’s a dead end road with the gate on the right hand side at the end, even in the dark we found it!! Have a fabulous time!

14 October 2015 at 11:59

Further ID question: After you’ve had your tickets validated… has anyone then been asked for ID when they returned with their tickets in the afternoon?

I would like to queue up with my wife and get my tickets validated in the morning… then give the tickets to my elderly parents (massive Strictly fans) in the afternoon. But I would worry they would be asked for ID in the afternoon and refused entry. They would be traveling a long way to come and see the show.

14 October 2015 at 12:48

Hi Bob, in my experience there is no ID check with the validated tickets to get into the studios. I think they just want to move people through quickly at that point. I’m sure it would be fine, but there’s a whole bunch of people who can now also comment. What a lovely gesture for them, and I’m sure they will be treated like royalty. Fingers crossed for you/them.

14 October 2015 at 15:41

Hi Bob, what a thoughtful gesture , they will love it! Validation is simply two members of the audience staff walking down the line , scanning the bar code of your e ticket and then sticking a number on that said piece of paper, done, no ID requested at that point as Julia said they are keen to get through all of us in that queue! In the afternoon it was just a quick flash of the ticket no ID necessary, also they are keen for you not to bring your phones and minimal bag etc so they wouldn’t expect you to have ID at that stage, oh they are going to love it! I ll be thinking of them when I watch on Saturday! Good luck …..

16 October 2015 at 12:40

My husband has got me & Mother tickets, ive rang BBC 03709011227 and they explained if my husband rang then he could add a comment to the ticket and allow to transfer these to me.

22 October 2015 at 11:20

Hi Natalie, have you been yet and did the transfer thing work? We are going this weekend and have the same problem! Thanks

22 October 2015 at 15:02

Bob, Ive not been yet as we are here this weekend too, fingers crossed!! Natalie

15 October 2015 at 12:02

Hi Managed to get tickets to Halloween show!! So excited!! I have been trying for years!! If we get to gates at 6am do you think that will guarantee us entry?! X

15 October 2015 at 16:40

Rachel, you lucky girl! It’s always a belter! On the basis of all the updates, I’d say you’d be well sure of getting seats. Fingers crossed that the weather stays dry and that you do! Julia x

16 October 2015 at 09:45

Thanks Julia!! Always a worry just incase! Staying at ibis so will wonder over about 530-6! Will be packing umbrella and waterproof!!x

My question is do both people have to queue for the validation, as my mum is not good on her feet?

16 October 2015 at 16:24

Hi Natalie, this was a question someone else had (not sure who). I wouldn’t risk it, as it certainly was on my e-ticket that you had to be in the queue to be validated. So, the question is the same, can you ask someone to stand in for her? Or failing that, bring one of those camping chairs so that she can perch on something? Fingers crossed for you!

17 October 2015 at 08:36

Hi Everyone, I have tickets for next Saturday (24th). Do you think if I arrive at 6am it will be early enough to get ticket validated? Also, if we’re successful, what is the temperature like of the room when you’re in the audience? I have a nice dress to wear but don’t want to spend the night feeling cold.

Thanks you so much.

18 October 2015 at 09:26

Hi Janice, by the sounds of it 06:00 sounds like plenty early enough. Check out Mary’s recent comment. It was cold when we were there last year, but perhaps someone will respond from this year’s experience. We were near the back where it was drafty from behind, but perhaps if you’re surrounded by a throng, it’s more toasty! Have a great time…

18 October 2015 at 07:49

I”ve just got tickets for this year’s Halloween special – sooooooooo excited! Just wondered if anyone knew/ could remember whether audience people tend to dress up halloween style or just frocks and sequins?! Also, my friend who I’m bringing is pregnant and is a bit worried about the toilet situation – please could you let me know what ópportunities’ there are for going after 4pm?! What’s the latest you’d get back in the afternoon for getting into the marquee/ studio? Thanks for your help! x

18 October 2015 at 09:30

Hi Lorna, well that’s usually a great show! I don’t think the audience do ghouls and ghosties! I was worried about the loo situation and I wasn’t pregnant!! Once you are in the business of recording, they were very clear in that you can’t leave the studio. We weren’t allowed to leave our seats until the live Saturday show was done (so, around 7:30/8:00pm). On the timing, you’re told to be back there for 3pm, which I don’t think is different by the sound of it for this year. You’re going to love every moment!

18 October 2015 at 19:09

Hi Lorna, went to last nights recording (week4). We got back to studio at 3.15 and were in the holding marquee with access to loos until we went into the studio. They said they prefer you not to go to the loo during the live performance but you could if you really needed to. Re. Your question on temperature: it started out quite comfortable temp and by the end of the final filming it was starting to get a bit warm, but not too bad at all.

18 October 2015 at 07:54

PS Is it generally warm/ hot/ cold in the actual studio?

18 October 2015 at 09:31

It was cold when we were there (and I generally run warm)… it will be interesting to see what the views are this year!

18 October 2015 at 09:10

Went to the recording last night. It was a fantastic atmosphere. Got there just before 7am and we were 129 and 130 in the queue so got seats about 5 rows back, right opposite the judges. The first people in the queue had got there at 4am! We stayed at the Premier Inn and parked in the civic offices car park which is right behind the Ibis hotel and a couple of minutes walk from entry gates, when we queued in the morning and went back for the live show. It is walkable if you don’t mind getting a bit chilly. We did not have to show any ID at any point in the process, they just scanned the tickets. Bit of a long day and my arms and shoulders ache from clapping so much but well worth it. They were trialing a new system where only one person had to be there to get both tickets validated, but no guarantee this will continue I guess and actually being in the queue was all part of the fun. Not too far a walk to tesco or McDonald’s to get a coffee to warm you up and pass the time as you wait. Just going to watch the recording and relive the experience.

18 October 2015 at 09:32

Wow… thanks for the update. It would be really helpful if they did only validate with one!! 04:00 is a bit crazy! Bet they’re knackered today!!

19 October 2015 at 14:04

Im concerned about the validation this Saturday, i dont want my mother to have to wait in line, the above comment says only one person is needed to have both tickets validated is this that case?

Are would you suggest i queue early and have my mother come for about 8:30am to ensure were both there for 9am?

Do you have to show your paper ticket to get into the queue for validation to anyone?

can you wear your jeans/warmer clothes while queuing for validation?

20 October 2015 at 20:19

What was the temperature like in the audience this year? Thanks, Janice.

22 October 2015 at 22:31

Hi Mary you must have just been in front of us in the queue, I got there just after 7pm and got tickets 155 & 156 🙂 The steward explained that it only required one person to valid for both tickets, not to return till about 3.15pm to queue up, and told us the general stuff (no phones can be taken into the show, limited size of bags, food & drinks you can take in, plus you can go to the toilet during the show if required), we stayed at the ibis for the Friday night, they give us a free parking pass for the carpark for the Friday & Saturday. We returned dressed up and ready to go about 4.30pm for the show so we didn’t have to queue, we walked straight in. No ID was required at anytime. They call you in by numbers It is a long day but the time flew by, hands clapped out on the night! We found the seats close together, and you cant move them. We got the back row under the balcony. We could stand up when they danced. The view was good though. When they filmed the Sunday part, we got swapped over with the front row of our section, so got to sit where Tess stands to speak to the celebrity’s! Finished about 10.30pm, if you don’t have to collect a coat or your phone, they will call you through to the exits, so you don’t have to queue with everyone who is waiting. A great experience 🙂

18 October 2015 at 19:10

I have a ticket for Friday’s It takes two it is the same process. I was wondering what time to start queueing for validation it says on the ticket that validation starts at 4pm

18 October 2015 at 20:49

Oh Christine, this is totally new territory!! I really don’t know what I’d do. We need an appeal to anyone who’s been there. It doesn’t look like there’s that many in the audience, so I wonder how many tickets are granted for the spaces? I think I’d be there about three hours before, based on the Saturday show… Anyone else have a view or some inside info?

24 October 2015 at 10:36

Had a fabulous time watching ‘it takes two’ Friday evening, only 25 in the audience plus family members of the crew, I waited a couple of hours to be validated to be sure of entry. Great guests, so funny and natural and to be so close to them and have a hug and a kiss from some was amazing.

24 October 2015 at 11:23

Christine, thank you so much for the update! You were on my list to contact today! I haven’t watched it yet (I know, I know, I need to go and stand in the corner). Do we see you on the screen? Give me something extra to look out for! Bet you’re still on cloud nine.

24 October 2015 at 13:35

Great to watch it back today, I am in the front row next to a very proud mum of one of the cameramen. I am on for glimpses quite a few times, I would recommend the experience if you are lucky to be offered a ticket the crew are so welcoming and to be up close and personal with the ‘stars of the show’ made it a memorable evening that will be talked about by me for a while

25 November 2015 at 13:37

Hi, I have It Takes Two tickets for 11 Dec and am travelling down from Glasgow so anxious that I don’t get turned away as it is such a small audience. Can you confirm what time you started to queue and what time the tickets were validated and how many people were in the queue before you? Can’t believe that I’m so lucky to get these after being at Elstree last year.

25 November 2015 at 22:08

Hi Anne Marie. We went to ITT a couple of weeks ago and only 16 of us got in (which equates to just 4 ticket holders as you get 4 tickets each). We started queuing at 2pm and were validated around 3.40pm. We were numbers 9-12. We walked along the southbank and had a cuppa at Royal Festival Hall and then headed back to the studios around 4.50pm. The four ladies behind us in the queue had been put on standby and only got in at the very very very last minute. My advice would be to get there at 12.30pm, have a nice lunch in the mulberry bush pub opposite the studios and then get in the queue ASAP. Queue forms at the big gate that says Audience Entrance to the left of the itv building. Have fun! We had a blast, my mum danced with Anton!

25 November 2015 at 22:14

Wonderful advice, thank you so much Katie!

25 November 2015 at 22:40

I also meant to add that the audience numbers that get in seems to vary every week, depending on guests/ production staff family and friends. Good luck! X

1 December 2015 at 14:41

Hi Katie Thank you so much for all your wonderful advice. We will make sure we are there around 12.00 noon. We are going down the day before and staying nearby so it shouldn’t be a problem. We only have 2 tickets – that’s all we need so hopefully we will squeeze in! I remember the lady dancing with Anton a few weeks ago. She looked lovely and was clearly really enjoying herself.

21 October 2015 at 11:56

Hi, I have tickets for this weeks show on Saturday, once you have your tickets validated at 9am can you leave and then go back when the doors open at 3pm? I dont want to go all dressed up at 9am to wait for hours! Hopefully we can go home and get all dressed up and return at 3pm! (if we are lucky enough to get tickets!)

21 October 2015 at 13:22

Hi Sarah, well, you’re going to have plenty of time to get all glammed up! But, I may be reading this wrongly, but take the hints and get there a bit before 09:00 to really make sure you’re in with the best chance to get tickets (in whatever you want to wear). Your e-ticket only gets you a place in the queue! Best of luck!

23 October 2015 at 09:34

With many thanks to Natalie…

We have transferred our tickets (in my wife’s name) into my Mum’s name – with a simple two-minute phone call to BBC Shows on 03709011227. (A “note” has been put in the system that ownership has transferred and we have a case number also.)

Still ever so slightly anxious about it all going smoothly on Saturday.

Keeeeeeeeeeep dancing!

and they explained if my husband rang then he could add a comment to the ticket and allow to transfer these to me.

24 October 2015 at 14:28

Hi Bob Met your mum & dad this morning, they are lovely! Loved the story about the service lift at the Savoy

24 October 2015 at 05:39

FYI. we’ve arrived at the studios this morning at 5am and only 30 0peoe in front of us. The guys at the front have been here since 2am. I’ll post later when the queue looks like it’s reached 400, so you all know what time to get here before.

24 October 2015 at 08:00

Natalie you star! You should have amazing seats for that effort. I hope it stays dry for you, it’s peeing down in Cornwall. Enjoy every moment today. xx

24 October 2015 at 08:58

Well it’s 9am and the queue is well over 400, folk still turning up !!

24 October 2015 at 09:08

Well it’s 9:07am and the validation hasn’t started, people still turning up, about 500 here now.

24 October 2015 at 10:13

They obviously didn’t read this Strictly Broadcast Service!! Hope you’ve been validated now!

25 October 2015 at 15:35

Just wanted to say thanks for all the info on your blog Julia, we found very useful (you are a public service!). We went to the show last night. Best night ever. Just to give you brief run down of our experience. We had booked at the Ibis for Friday and Saturday as not sure about parking etc. Turns out if you stay at Ibis they will validate your ticket in public carpark behind them (£12 normally I think) and you won’t have to pay. Great budget hotel, literally 3 mins walk to gate in Maxwell Road for the Strictly entrance. We joined the queue at 5.30am and were numbers 50 and 51. Tesco few minutes walk away 24 hrs coffees/teas/toilet close if you need. MacDonalds also few minutes away for bacon rolls! Lots of people took chairs/flasks/blankets etc. but we didn’t and found time passed quickly as we go on really well with our queue buddies. Really lovely ladies! Validation was late starting so we were finished by 9.30am and told to report back at 3.15pm. Queued again at 3.15pm for half an hour and were then called into large marque. Didn’t matter about going early for this as it goes by your ticket number once inside. Handed in coats and this is were you also hand in your phones/gadgets. Small bar, tea/coffee and photo booth. Some seating and the toilets. This for me was the worst part as they call you into the studio in ticket number, but this process took so long to start and everyone was getting a little fed up. No explanation from staff either. We were seated just after 5pm. The people who had arrived first (2am was the first in the queue) were in the seats directly opposite the stage. We were in the “blue” section which was to the left of the stage, 1st 3 rows were friends and family and we were row 4. Brilliant seats!!!! Were told we could go to the toilet if needed but wait for video clip to go so not live, and then others around you had to jiggle to fill the gap in seat until you got back. The whole thing flew past so quickly you won’t believe. We were able to chat to some of the dancers whilst they were waiting in the wings. Fantastic atmosphere. Live filming finished at 8.30pm. We then had kitkat and juice cartoon in 10 min break to start again for Sunday show. Very funny warm up man in between tearing about, organising the clapping and telling jokes. Very Dale Winton! Tess was very professional, Claudia hysterical and best part of the show. Crew were fantastic and don’t get a big enough thank you, so much goes on behind camera. 10.30pm finish and then back to marque to queue for coats. Big queue but maybe took 10 minutes to get to front. Overall, totally brilliant night. Loved the sparkle. Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep dancing!

27 October 2015 at 08:52

Posted a very log reply, which seems to have vanished in the ether! Gremlins! Anyway, love it that you had such a great time (you can feel it in your writing) and so, so happy that you found this helpful for you. x

25 October 2015 at 19:19

Can anyone tell me how many people do not turn up for the show? My guess is not many. How many people are turned away at any one show? Do those turned away, get priority tickets for another show? Surely the BBC could issue guaranteed admission tickets in the first place. Make the validation time for these guaranteed tickets be no later than 10am. If you did not turn up for validation then it would be your fault if you did not get in. Have a standby list of people who live within say an hour’s drive, that can be called in to make up the audience quota. There would be plenty of fanatic volunteers who would gladly do this at a drop of a hat!!!! Yes there will still be people queuing up but the worry and anxiety of facing a big disappointment of not getting into the show would then be taken away. Come on BBC surely you can come up with a better system

27 October 2015 at 09:00

Hi Arthur, some interesting thoughts, but I’m with the BBC. The queueing is absolutely part of the experience. Also validation takes place in a park, with guys with e-ticket readers, a clip board and a bunch of stickers. The focus is on the live show, and filling the audience… and they achieve it week after week. It is stressful, but it’s also exciting. They also do not know how many ‘public’ seats will be allocated until the morning, as it depends on how many the ‘strictly stars’ and the production team take uo so they can’t guaruntee any seats at all. Interesting idea, but I think unworkable on any level – let along another London bias, which the BBC is skewed enough at anyway.

28 October 2015 at 18:05

Hi Ellie Sorry to hear about your tickets for the 14th. The problem with swapping them is they have your name on them and I am led to believe they may ask for identification. So swapping, you are taking a risk at being refused entry. The best way is to give them away and whoever has them takes the risk. I am a willing to take the risk!!!! I am sure there are people you know would do likewise.

28 October 2015 at 18:25

Hi Julie Thanks for the reply. I would rather have just the excitement of knowing that I am guaranteed to get in. Therefore doing away with the stress that undoubtedly many go through. Why cannot the stars and production team be allocated a certain amount of tickets and the rest allocated to the public. The stars and production team should inform the BBC by 10am that day who is taking the tickets up. Then calls could be made to those on standby. An hour away does not have to be London alone there is many places including the Home Counties within that distance. In a way it could also be a cost cutting idea = would not need all those guys in a park, with e-ticket readers, a clip board and a bunch of stickers. If the BBC cannot make some system like this work then there is something wrong!!!!! Can you answer or someone from the great BBC answer how many of the public are actually turned away. Thanks

28 October 2015 at 19:58

It would be a fascinating number, wouldn’t it…. I have absolutely no idea!

7 November 2015 at 21:50

I have been so lucky to get tickets for next week 14th Nov. We have booked train tickets ,from Derbyshire, without realising there are so many tickets that don’t get to see the show and we don’t get into Borehamwood till 10-45am, will it be a complete waste of time coming down. Gutted because train tickets and hotel are paid for

8 November 2015 at 09:10

Oh Kath, can you change the tickets? GWR are usually great on the phone, or have been in my experience. What have you got to lose by calling? I fear that you will risk not getting to see the show if you leave it that late. Do you know anyone locally that would queue/validate for you? I really feel for you, but I wouldn’t leave it that late. Fingers crossed there is an alternative that presents to you….

8 November 2015 at 15:10

We are on the first train out at 6-30am. My friend is working till 6pm on the Fri and can’t get the time off work and even if we did that it would be gone midnight when we arrived. It’s ridiculous if you have to book a hotel for 2 nights just to watch it. There must be a better way of doing this rather than running it like a cattle market !

27 October 2015 at 08:57

Ive got tickets for 14th of Novemeber, but ive got a trip booked that weekend for my 21st birthday! Is there anyone out there who also has tickets and wanted to swap?!

DESPERATEEEEEEE

27 October 2015 at 09:03

Oh Ellie!!! Argh! Not surprised feelings of desperation! Good luck with that, and if I can help put you in touch with anyone, I will.

27 October 2015 at 13:14

Very excited for Saturday!!!!

28 October 2015 at 13:16

Anyone out there want to swap??! Somebody must know somebody or if you have tickets and you can actually go on the 14th of November???

29 October 2015 at 14:48

I live in Gloucestershire and was planning to get there for validation about Noon for the 14th Nov show – but this looks like its clearly too late! I am curious that only one person has posted who didn’t get in. It is a shame they have moved the validation time to 9am from midday as people travelling from all over the country are going to find it very stressful trying to arrive so early. Has anyone else recently arrived too late, and what time did they join the queue, but got in on the reserve tickets issued later?

8 November 2015 at 15:13

I’m in exactly the same boat travelling down from Derbyshire on the 6-30am train. Impossible to get there any sooner. It’s madness. I’m totally stressed instead of excited 🙁

9 November 2015 at 14:13

Felt VERY sorry for all the poor people having to queue for validation last Saturday as it was torrential rain and howling gales here all day (Gloucestershire) I am so NOT looking forward to having to do the same thing on 14th Nov! Does Ibis Hotel allow for ridiculously early check in on the Saturday so you can park in their car park for free on the Saturday morning for validation – even if you don’t need the room til later??

9 November 2015 at 18:05

Hi Barbara, I was in that rainy queue on Saturday & actually it wasn’t as bad as I feared!! My advice would be to wrap up warm … Scarf, hat, gloves, thick coat with a hood, umbrella & definitely something to sit on! We took camping chairs as a last minute thought & I don’t think I’d had survived that queue without them!! Also the camaraderie between everyone around you is just so much fun that you just chat chat chat & time really does pass quickly! It’s a very very long day & will exhaust you but 100% worth it for the strictly experience!! Have a great time! Xxx

10 November 2015 at 11:34

Did you hear about many people not getting in, we’re leaving Derbyshire on the 1at train but it will be 10-45 when we arrive

10 November 2015 at 19:18

Hi Kath, After reading all the comments on here I thought that I needed to be there really early to be in with a shot of tickets so I arrived at 5.45am! When I arrived back at 3pm for the show I spoke to someone who had chances it and arrived at 1.30 in the afternoon and still get tickets and that there was still seats available after them! How true that is I couldn’t say but what I will say is that the early morning queuing experience was so much fun!! It really was a crazy fun highlight of the whole day! I’m actually glad I did the 6am queuing!! I must be mad!! 🙂 xxx

10 November 2015 at 13:50

Thanks for that! Will dig out my old camping chair from shed then and the golfing umbrella! Plan to get there about 7am as weather says it will be a lot colder this Saturday and can’t see me surviving for more than 2 hours! I wish everyone would boycott this stupid validation process and not turn up until 9am otherwise it is a horribly long day. Has anyone bought a cushion in with them as the chairs sound a nightmare!

29 October 2015 at 21:53

Thanks so much for all the info on here – it is so helpful. My mum and I have tickets for the 7th. Has anyone driven and parked? We are staying at the Ibis and it seems it would be quicker/easier for me to drive than get the train? Thanks very much.

29 October 2015 at 22:23

Hi clare, you wouldnt want to help out a very stressed 21 year old and make my grandmother extremly happy and swap with my tickets for the 14th? I can arrange it all change your accomodation and pay for any changes!!! I can also get you a free family ice skating tickets at canary wharf this christmas as a thankyou!!!!!!! From the bottom of my heart please think about it!!! Xxxx

3 November 2015 at 12:56

I am so sorry but I can’t swap. I am taking my Mum and she cannot make the following weekend. I hope you manage to sort something out. x

30 October 2015 at 13:04

I have followed this blog with interest because I had two tickets for last Saturday but in the end decided not to go! I was so disappointed because I love Strictly but the whole ticketing process sounded horrendous! I live in Bristol so even to be in the queue by 9 a.m would have been a challenge so an even earlier arrival – which seems essential – would have meant an overnight stay in a hotel plus of course on the Saturday night because of late ending of recording so a two night stay – quite an expense! I agree with the previous comment that 9 is too early for the many applicants who do not live in London. Plus I was surprised to read that the actual number of tickets available is not known until the celebrities and production staff have received them. Well I feel the celebs should be allowed two (as the public are) and the production staff – they are being paid to do a their job???? I realise there is not an ideal solution to the ticketing issue but maybe a fairer one. Come on BBC – have a look at this again!

30 October 2015 at 13:30

Wow, Maureen, what a tough decision to make! Yes, for those coming any distance it is a couple of nights away, and I hadn’t really thought of that (said she who came from Cornwall), it makes it a bias on another level of income. I’m still not sure of what the alternative is, but valid point made!

26 November 2015 at 18:37

Hi Maureen, feel so much better now I’ve read your comments…like you I had e-tickets for last Saturday at Blackpool and was soooo very excited. We live in Bridgnorth Shropshire, 2.5 hours drive away, my husbund was driving us early that morning to arrive at the Tower by 9.30am. At 5.30 the weather warning was severe on the M6 and we had to make a unanimous decision……it was to not risk it!!! We had booked rooms at Premier Inn Blackpool for sat night…we should have booked for friday night too…..to say I was disappointed is an understatement I was reduced to tears later that day ! However we watched every second of the show in the warm on our telly in HD with a bottle of wine. These tickets seem to be a chance of a lifetime, however I will try again next year. Reading this blog though I wonder if Elstree is the better one to go for ….either way its quite costly …. fingers crossed for you and me next year!

30 October 2015 at 15:28

Looking forward to tomorrow! Anyone else going? X

30 October 2015 at 19:35

Me! I can’t wait!!

30 October 2015 at 20:29

Maureen sorry to hear that you decided to give it a miss but understandable. That is why I have previously made suggestions as to how the BBC should allocate the tickets. Lets bear in mind it is the PUBLIC,s money that pays for the show. I agree with your comment “I feel the celebs should be allowed two (as the public are) and the production staff – they are being paid to do a their job????” ( and we are paying their wages). Julie the alternative is to stop treating the Public like cattle , herded up before validation and consider them first !!!. Come on BBC lets have a system where people who live a long distance away don’t have the worry that if they spend a lot of money – will they or want they get in. The BBC should now seriously review their system for tickets for the benefit of the FEE PAYING PUBLIC not the Stars and Staff. By the way I live quite close.

30 October 2015 at 22:11

Which entrance do you go to get tickets validated? X

30 October 2015 at 22:59

Maxwell road entrance Have fun!

30 October 2015 at 23:39

Well amazingly I have got tickets for the14th and am Scipio excited. My partner shared your blog as I was being very calm about turning up at noon etc. So glad I have read through all the comments as now have chairs blankets and gsoh ready. Oh what to wear!! I will keep you posted on how it goes but the plan is to get in the Q for about 6am .

31 October 2015 at 09:30

Hi all Just got tickets validated. We are 23&24 Got to queue at 5am First person there was at 1.50am! Mad!! x

31 October 2015 at 10:30

Bonkers!!! Am thrilled for you – and you’ll have to look out for Marty, just behind you in number terms… Enjoy every moment! xx

31 October 2015 at 10:19

Great informative web page. Wife and I have just had our tickets validated for the Halloween show tonight. Arrived at 5:15am and joined a jolly but small queue. We ended up with numbers 31 & 32. Time passed very quickly with lovely like minded people around us. Hard to say how many ended up in the queue but it stretched almost to the back of the footpath. People were still joining it as we had our tickets validated 09:10. At around 8am 3 lads appeared with flasks and croissants and were dishing them out as freebies…. How lovely. So we are now back in the hotel about to have a snooze ….. Will let you know how it goes later… Happy days.

31 October 2015 at 10:31

Thanks Marty! Look out for Rachel!! Enjoy the snooze and have a ball. Give Claude my love!

1 November 2015 at 10:35

I found this blog useful so thought I would add my comments. We went to last night’s halloween special which was spectacular. As we had a bit of a drive (1 hr 20) we arrived at 8.00 am (my husband dropped me off before parking the car) and ended up with numbers 297 and 298. We weren’t asked for ID at any point. We had seats on the balcony above the judges and had great views over the dance floor. You couldn’t see everything but it doesn’t matter because the atmosphere is fantastic. The warm up guy was really funny as was Claudia. Having read previous comments I was worried about being cold so took a cardigan in with me, but the studio was really warm and I didn’t need it.

All in all an amazing evening.

1 November 2015 at 14:54

Thanks Sarah! That will be reassuring news! You don’t have to be there at silly o’clock to get in….

1 November 2015 at 15:28

Thanks so much for this blog!! Great tips

We were 23 and 24. Sat right next to stairs facing band/singers Amazing night. We got to speak to Anita,Kelly,Peter,Jeremy, Natalie,Aljaz,Pasha and got two kisses from the lovely Anton!!!

Will defiantly be trying to get some more golden tickets next year!!! X

1 November 2015 at 16:59

Sounds amazing!! Would rather have a kiss off Pasha!! Glad it all worked for you Rachel…

1 November 2015 at 16:10

Got tickets for the 7th and really excited. Six years of applying finally paid off. I’m going on my own for valuation as my mate can’t get there until 8am due to childcare so really hoping some friendly people in queue I can chat too while I wait on my tod? Just hope nice and safe area as arriving Friday from Bristol and staying at IBIS as chance in a lifetime but am going to be on own until after valuation. So will be a little lonely so anyone going sat 7th nov do say Hi if u see me sat there under spotty blanket. Cannot wait so super excited. One question, does anyone know how ticket/seat number at validation equate to studio seat location? Get the feeling first 30 get good positions? Thanks Gem

1 November 2015 at 17:02

Congratulations Gem! Think you’re about right on the first 25-30, who get opposite the band, but I haven’t heard of anyone who’s really been disappointed! Have a blast! And do share your experiences. I’m loving reliving it all again, and again!

5 November 2015 at 09:11

Really helpful. Thanks x

1 November 2015 at 17:17

Hi Gemma, The first 30 seats are facing the stage and some are great. I was lucky enough to go last year got 25/26 but to be honest would have preferred to be behind judges or opposite them. It was a cold day & we were freezing as the props were being brought in & out from behind us it was December we also were not allowed to do standing ovations due to cameras behind us. It seems a different experience for each person as some people on here were really warm last night. The queue early in the morning was great & the ibis is a friendly hotel and everything is near- you will be fine. Have a great time.

3 November 2015 at 13:01

Hi Gemma, I will be in the queue on my own too on Saturday as I don’t want my Mum to have to queue at silly o clock! I’ll look out for you. Clare

5 November 2015 at 09:15

Hi Claire Weather not looking kind Saturday. Defo need a big umbrella! I’ll keep an eye out for you. Off outfit shipping now. So excited x

5 November 2015 at 11:32

Oh I know, I just checked lots of rain 🙁 Happy outfit shopping! x

5 November 2015 at 17:51

Hi Claire Weather not looking kind Saturday. Defo need a big umbrella! I’ll keep an eye out for you. Off outfit shopping now. So excited x

5 November 2015 at 21:19

Hey Claire,

See you on Sat too 🙂

5 November 2015 at 21:30

See you there! Getting excited now 🙂

5 November 2015 at 20:47

I am going on 7th and queuing on my own (so my friend does not have to) so feel free to say hey! I’ve heard that about the first 25-30 too! I went last year and we was nearly 300 but we were sat right next to where Claudia interviews the celebs after they dance in the balcony – so had a great view!

5 November 2015 at 21:01

Graeme, should we be talking to you if you went last year too??!! Haha. Seriously you know the form! You can spread the love!!

5 November 2015 at 21:07

Lol everything that everyone else has said is true. We were very lucky last time to be sat next to Claudia’s interview room so got up close to lots of the celebs! Tickets are like gold dust – amazing experience – just a long day – so don’t plan anything too strenuous on Sunday!

6 November 2015 at 13:12

Great. Seems a win win as long as you get there in the first 400. See u tmr.

1 November 2015 at 16:26

Wanted to post to

1) Thank you for this blog post and all the follow up comments. 2) Add my tuppenceworth on being in the audience last night.

Left home at 4.50am, arrived in the queue at 6.25am. Validated at 9.15am with 133,134. People were still arriving to queue at 9am. A staff member told us the first people began queuing at 1.50am. I have a picture of the queue behind me at 8.45am if you would like me to email it over? Just me queuing, my +1 would be joining me later.

Got back to the studio at 2.50pm and let in at 3pm. Kept in the holding tent where there was a photo booth, free access to portaloo toilets and an ambient temperature. Weather all day had been around 20 degrees, so marquee was pleasant to wait in. There are chairs here (not enough for everyone), security checks and the phone/coat hand in point. There’s also a bar and coffee seller.

Tickets were called in 1-24, 25-50, then 51-100, 101-150. So if you’re ticket 101 you may find yourself behind ticket 150 now, so be warned to be quick when your number is called. Think this was about 4.30, but didn’t check my watch. The good thing is that the 1-24s had the floor side seats with the whole view of the floor and judges. I thought they deserved it – the crazy people arriving when they did!

We followed the line round and couldn’t quite believe we ended up right behind the judges. You can clearly see us squeezed in between Darcy and Len. However, we only had a brief glance/smile from them as they sat down in the pre records. They never came over to chat as others have mentioned previously.

A stage hand told us when our section was all seated that we were allowed to get up and down to use the toilets when the taped links were playing, but please not during the dances.

The professionals did their Saturday dance after the warm up guy. Then James Morrison did his song. A few links were practiced by Tess and Claudia (the potty mouth – loved it!), then we went live.

The studio got hotter and hotter – to the extent it gave me a huge headache – and from our position we could only see the dances when the dancers were standing up.

We had a 10 minute break between shows – tried to get a toilet trip in but the queue was too long and we were called back in before I had a chance. My friend got me my kit kat and carton of apple juice. The results show started with the pro dance, then another 10 min break (where the judges disappeared again) then a straight through recording after the dancers had all got costumed/make up’d again. A couple of pick ups were needed, but no reshoots during the results show.

We were all sent home – my friend and I hung around in our seats while the doorway cleared, but the judges went straight to the contestants, then went and talked to their invited guests. Dancers/celebs never came near us unless they were being cued in for their dance.

So it was a good day and I’m glad I went. Big picture – I had a fab night watching Strictly live.

However, a few niggles. The day was soooo long and the lack of availability of decent food between 3pm and 10.30pm may be a big issue for many. And then I drove home and arrived at 12.30am. I don’t cope well with 20 hour days bookended by 2 long drives. But our budget doesn’t cope well with booking hotel rooms on the chance I may get my ticket validated.

I had a huge headache from the heat of the studio, the noise of constant clapping and tiredness from the long day and ended up having a power nap in my seat (I kid you not) whilst the dancers were being recostumed during the results show.

The seats are not for larger bottoms. My poor friend was sitting next to a larger lady and the larger ladies thighs were constantly on my friends seat. There is no space at all between seats. With all the standing ovations, my friend was constantly being sat on by this lady and polite requests made no difference as there was no space for the lady to move into to give my friend her seat back. The seats themselves are really uncomfortable too – well they are after 6 hours…

A Kit kat and a juice BBC? For 6 hours? I had a couple of snacks in my bag, but when they only allow small bags in the studio, there’s no room for sandwiches to sustain. You should replace the kitkat with a sausage roll/porkpie/sushi/salad/sandwich something more sustainable. I’d have been happy to buy it, but that option just isn’t there.

Like I said before, I appreciate the big picture. I had a ball watching the shows last night, but put the niggles into my post too as I think I hadn’t got the sense of just how draining a day it was going to be from reading all the previous comments.

If you are lucky enough to get tickets, enjoy it, but be ready for sitting next to a larger person, having a numb bum, earache, headache and lack of food.

1 November 2015 at 17:05

Mrs B, thank you for such a considered reply. The seats aren’t comfy, they’re cable tied together, and not much room when there’s a substantial bottom next to you. It’s such an experience, and glad that you had highs in there too. Hope the headache has gone now…

1 November 2015 at 21:53

Luckily there are padded bench seats on the balcony so we generally had a bit more room.

1 November 2015 at 17:11

Update from Halloween night. Wow what an experience!! We returned as requested at 3pm along with everyone else and waited in a long line glammed up this time. We were then ushered into a marquee where we could purchase drinks or get a free photo with props. There were a few screens with Natalie and Tristan busting some moves. We were then Ushered into the arena at around 4:15pm. This was slightly chaotic as the next 50 including Wife and I Were called before the first 24 had gone in but it went well in the end. The first 24 were set in prime front row seats so queuing early had its perks !! We were 5 rows back where Tess comes down…. Fantastic. The arena is warm and gets warmer… Lots of clapping and sometimes more than one take for pre recorded dances. The warm up/compere guy was brilliant, Tess beautiful and professional, Claudia was hilarious and dropped lots of obscenities but appropriately funny. Bruno is bonkers and feeds from the audience. It was a long and tiring day but my god it was an experience to remember. Congrats to the BBC and everyone involved. Special hello to Maria and Catherine who queued with us and also seated together in the show…. Lovely people. Marty and Deb.

1 November 2015 at 17:39

Thanks Marty – and Deb! Loving the sharing of experiences. Photo booth is new this year, I wondered what someone else had meant by it!

1 November 2015 at 20:28

So, drove down from Wolverhampton. Picked my mate up at the ungodly hour of 4.30am! Pretty decent ride down as you would imagine at that time. Sat nav useful until we got right there. Asked two polite coffee carrying guys if they were heading to the strictly queue and how to get there. Decided to kick my mate out the door with her coat and scarf and follow those who looked like they were going in that direction and got in the queue about 6.35am thinking we were about #114. With a trip to maccies and giggles in the queue time passed pretty quickly. Lovely couple in front, from just down the road from us, and a lovely gentleman behind waiting in line for his wife and daughter (definetly) earning some brownie points). Was cold with no shelter, so dress and prepair for all weather. When our ticket was validated, started 9.10am ish, we were 159 & 160 ( I guessed 158 randomly, go me). Told to come back at 3. No ID needed and my boyfriends name, who was not present, was on the ticket. Pottered around Borehamwood shops and shopping park. Late lunch at Franky and Bennys and investigated parking. Decided to park behind the Ibis as it is a short walk from the studio (£5 for 5hrs, don’t have to pay after 6.30pm) took our chance and asked to get changed in the hotel lobby toilet. To our surprise they welcomed us with open arms. Later we found out they had been at the queue earlier in the day handing out coffee, tea and crossiants for free, which I just find to be so generous especially as it not necessary for them to do so. If we’d had time we would have liked to have a drink there just to show our appreciation. Back in the queue for 3.15 which steadily moved and we were soon in the marquee. The rest was just magical. Seated third rown, right behind the judges. Next to where Tess sits off stage. So interesting to have an insight and be behind the scenes of one of my favourite shows. What a week. Absolutely perfect. Halloween special with some of my favourite songs. It did get quite warm in the studio, but took in water, fruit pastels and mints to get us through. Finished at 10.30pm was back home for 1am. A very long day but so very worth it. In hindsight I would stay over and advise those not local to do so where possible – keeeeeeeep dancing!!!

2 November 2015 at 08:16

Sounds wonderful! And great to have an experience of someone who’s driven down. Sounds like the IBIS crew are part of the Strictly experience!!

1 November 2015 at 20:47

I have tickets for the 7th & my mum & I are so so excited!!! Im so happy I came across your blog as I have learnt so much info about times to arrive etc. I would have been devastated to have turned up “on time” and not have been able to get in. I will update once I’ve been next week! Staying at the Premier Inn down the road on the Friday night & plan to get to the queue at 6am so fingers crossed we’ll get in!! xxx

3 November 2015 at 12:14

We also have tickets for this Saturday (7th) and we’re staying at the Ibis. Thanks so much for all the info above, it’s hugely helpful. One thing for those thinking about it – the ticket instructions are very clear that you do NOT both need to be present to validate your tickets this year, one ticketholder can do it. So for anyone with elderly parents etc, you can happily leave them in the warm!

3 November 2015 at 13:54

Hi Lindsay, well I have to say that seems so sensible, and I’m really glad the process has been changed to have only one person needing to be there for validation… Have a great time (as if you won’t!). Hope the weather doesn’t break on you, it’s been fine for the last few Saturdays!

5 November 2015 at 15:23

Hi Lindsay Just out of curiosity where does it say that? Because on mine it says everyone attending must be in the queue to be validated. I only ask because I intend to get there before my mum! thanks

5 November 2015 at 17:40

My tickets for 14th November say it’s ok for only 1 person to validate tickets

8 November 2015 at 19:47

Hi Barbra ,

Where on your ticket does it say 1 person can validate the tickets ?

My ticket says -everyone attending must be in the que to be validated. But if this is not the case that’s good ?

9 November 2015 at 14:24

A separate email was sent after the tickets with a PDF file called “Strictly Come Dancing 2015 Information “giving further details (you need Office installed to open this! You can download a free trial of Office from Microsoft website to enable you to open the attachment.) This file stated only one person needed to validate tickets. Hope this reassures you. Look forward to maybe seeing you in the queue on the 14th!

3 November 2015 at 15:47

I have tickets for the 7th & my mum & I are so so excited!!! Im so happy I came across your blog as I have learnt so much info about times to arrive etc. I would have been devastated to have turned up “on time” and not have been able to get in. I will update once I’ve been next week! Staying at the Premier Inn down the road on the Friday night & plan to get to the queue at 6am so fingers crossed we’ll get in!! xxx

3 November 2015 at 17:00

Hi Maxine, I’m glad too you found my blog too! Enhanced by all the wonderful comments and updates. You’re sure to get a sear with that timing, but will have all things crossed for you. Enjoy every moment! The day just sparkles by!

5 November 2015 at 22:02

I love reading about everyone’s experiences!! I have that nervous/excited butterfly feeling in my tummy!! I’ve been glued to It Takes Two all week so far & am so excited to watch Jay doing the first Argentine Tango … I just know he is going to be amazing! Will post about my sparkly day on Sunday! xxx

5 November 2015 at 23:12

I might not talk to to either!! Love, love, love an Argetine tango… As for that Jay! Let’s hope he adds a degree of passion. I’m not jealous, no, no… I’m fine!!

4 November 2015 at 21:33

This blog is so helpful, thank you so much to everyone for the tips. I have tickets for this Saturday, coming down with my mum, we are both so excited! I was slightly concerned as it is my boyfriends name on the tickets but from everyones previous experience it doesn’t sound as if it will be a problem.

We are staying at the travel lodge, does anyone know how far this is for the studio?

5 November 2015 at 10:42

Firstly let me say that my wife and I are Strictly Come Dancing Fans and love watching the show on TV. So it was absolutely fantastic when we found that we had been allocated tickets for the Halloween show on the 31st October. Having read some of the reviews, comments and speaking to a neighbour who had been a couple of weeks ago we decided to go down and queue early. Fortunately we are only 40 to 45 minutes away so we drove down, parking in the public car park next to the Ibis hotel. Only £5 per day and a short walk to the Studio. Arriving at around 6am we found ourselves 79th and 80th in a queue on a Public footpath next to a recreation ground and running alongside the outside of the Studios. The people at the front had been there since about 01.50am This is where unfortunately I felt like we were being treated like a herd of cattle. The weather was kind to us and we did meet some nice people in the queue. Hate to think what it would have been like, if it had been freezing cold or pouring down of rain. Some had flown down from Glasgow, travelled down by train from Liverpool and Newcastle and had stayed overnight in one of the nearby Hotels Around 9am they started to validate our tickets, given a number and we were away by 09.30am. We returned home, others either went back to their Hotels or wandered round the town. At about 2.50pm we returned all glammed up and again were in the queue on this public footpath. This time we were a bit further back in the queue. The weather again was good to us, fine and reasonably warm. Had it been raining then perhaps the Glam part would have faded away? Just after 3pm we were then in groups herded into the marque just inside the studios grounds. There were drinks available to purchase, you could have your photo taken for free and there was a young Lady trying to keep people amused. However there was a lack of seating, it was very warm and crowded. It reminded me of a herd of cattle all rounded up in a pen waiting to be Milked. We were then called into the Studio in groups starting from number 1, as allocated when the tickets were validated. We found ourselves ushered to the seats behind where I believe the friends and family of the Stars and Production team were seated. These seats were just in front of the Balcony. This is where the experience got worse. It was like being cooped up in a hen battery. I was fortunate I did not have any large person seating either side of me. However you had to make sure your arms were tucked in tightly to your sides and your legs were pressed together for fear of getting to intimate with the person next to you. In fact I spent most of the time sitting slightly forward to allow my wife and the young lady on my other side room to breathe, not very comfortable I may add. I really started to realise what those hens in batteries felt like!!!!! We were sat like this from just gone 4pm to gone 10pm with the occasional standing up to clap and whoop. There was a break between the live show and the Sunday recorded show, during which we were given, a four fingered Kit Kat, a small cartoon of juice and allowed to go to the toilet. Some poor people sat along from us who were not allowed to stand up during the recordings even for applause as they were in front of the cameras. Goodness knows what pain they were going through. A Compère /comedian entertained and enlightened us as to what was happening on stage during the whole recording and he was very good. When it came to the dancing all we could see of the Dancers was from the waist up. If they were on the other side of the Dance floor then we got a fleeting glimpse of the footwork. So you could not really tell how well they were dancing. Halloween evening was being hailed as one of the best evenings to see the show. Wrong!!!!! Due to all the makeup you could not tell who was who a lot of the time. The shock of the day was how crude Claudia was off camera. She is a very funny lady without being crude. She did not need to use the F word several times and was very crude in some of her attempts a joking with the audience. The evening finished with me having a back ache due to sitting forward most of the evening to allow the two people either side of me a bit more breathing space. I also came away with a headache and very tired. The experience of seeing how the show is put together was very interesting. For the rest of it sitting at home in a comfortable chair in front of the TV would have been a million times more enjoyable. Would I go again? Unless they change the system of accommodating their FEE paying Public NO!!!!!! I felt the Audience were only there to make their show look good, with all the orchestrated clapping, standing up laughing and whooping. To me there was very little consideration for their wellbeing and comfort of the Audience throughout the whole process. So come on BBC please give more consideration to how the tickets are allocated, waiting times and seating.

5 November 2015 at 12:17

Oh Bob what a mixed experience – although I have every sympathy with your comments about the seating. There was no room to move where we were sitting too. I remember the joy and the agony! I think the BBC IS all about putting on a show, and that’s the hard, cold truth. It’s a live show, and to be fair to the BBC, I think that’s what they kinda have to focus on. I think they do have regard for the audience, unfortunately those attending (and I’m not helping matters) are the ones that get there early. The BBC doesn’t encourage it, but with the golden ticket, you/we/I are so anxious about not getting into the show. That makes it a long day – but I wouldn’t have missed the banter in the queue for anything. I love hearing the experiences, but as I finished up in my original blog, I would only go again if I could have DVO’s seat (or a celebrity’s). It’s endurance love of the show any other way….

All things crossed for the weather this weekend. Wrap up well!

5 November 2015 at 21:28

We have tickets for the Blackpool show. Anybody been to that one, any help appreciated.

21 November 2015 at 15:07

Hi, through this wonderful blog I have found out loads, thank you. Now for an.update so far.

As I am on holiday and could not get back for today I phoned the BBC and transferred the tickets to my daughter who is going with her husband.

They travelled to Blackpool last night and are booked into a lovely B&B for 2 nights. My son-in-law was up early and in the queue at the Tower by 6.45am. He was 9th in the queue. My daughter was going to have breakfast and then take over in the queue so that my son-in-law could go back to the hotel, have breakfast, and get his suit on fir the show. Them they would have queued together until validation at 12 noon.

Well that all changed just before 8am when someone from the BBC said they would let people in from 9am. This caused pandemonium as many were holding places and doing as my daughter and her husband were. Well, SIL phoned daughter who headed straight down ready dressed for the evening without breakfast, SIL grabbed coffee and bacon butties for him, daughter and others in the queue and then went back to the hotel to shower and put his suit on. He was back at the Tower for 9.58am and the first 100 were let inside to queue at 10.00am. The weather today is freezing in Blackpool I am told. Their tickets were validated at noon and they got numbers 11 and 12. They then went through security and into the Circus so now I cannot get any further updates until the show is finished, which will be about 10.30pm tonight

They are both beyond excited about the whole experience. My SIL said that the professional dancers were there from about 7.00am, going in a door near the front of the queue were he was waiting. My daughter saw Len going in about 8.30 after she had swapped with her hubby. A long day for everyone.

I do know that they were allowed to bring in wrapped snacks to the Tower this year, as well as a plastic bottle of water.

They both said, before giving up the phones to security, that the camaraderie in the queue is great. The frozen, but young legs if my SIL were getting coffee from Greggs for other less able people in the queue. Also, the couple in front of them had tickets to Strictly at Elstree last week and went. They had pictures of themselves from the TV which were apparently really good.

I will post more tomorrow when I know more. In the meantime, I am on the way home now and looking forward to seeing the show on Monday when home. Tonight we are staying in Paris, having had it arranged for weeks. Je suis Paris.

21 November 2015 at 16:53

Karen that is such an amazing thing to do, and also to take the time to update… when in Paris! I’m sure they’re really in the Strictly spirit now, and look forward to anything else you can share in due course. Je suis Paris, absolutely.

11 July 2016 at 09:56

Hi, a recent update on the Blackpool Strictly. When going through security there was diagreement between the BBC and Blackpool security, who took all food, drink and some medication off people despite protests and evidence that people were told they could bring it in.

Well my daughter wrote to the BBC with her receipts for lunch and snacks confiscated against BBC instructions at Blackpool by Tower security and has she has just received compensation.

13 July 2016 at 10:42

That’s something – but hopefully the BBC/Blackpool Tower people can get it right for 2016 (assuming it heads that way). Thank you for the update, Karen.

5 November 2015 at 22:12

We also have tickets for Blackpool.

They say that validation starts from 12 noon – which is obviously later than London.

Did anyone go last year?

How many people does Blackpool seat?

6 November 2015 at 08:01

Got tickets for tomorrow 7/11 coming from Birmingham on train hopefully get to the queue about 9 am should i be confident of getting in?

6 November 2015 at 08:44

Congratulations on winning a golden ticket Craig. I’m not sure, but I’m sure some with more recent experience will chime in. I’d like to think so, but it could be tight…. Will have everything crossed for you!

6 November 2015 at 11:42

thanks i will cross everything as well is there anybody out there who had a ticket but didnt get in have not seen many dissapointed posts or am i just being positive

6 November 2015 at 08:55

I personally wouldn’t leave it until 9 to arrive. Around 7.30-8 most people were getting there I arrived at 5am and got seats at front opposite the band so could see everything x

6 November 2015 at 14:55

My daughter Kirsty has been trying for about 4years and finally got two tickets and, taking me Brenda her Mum what a star she is. We go on the 21st of November, Mike my hubby booked our hotel as early xmas pressie love him. Pick up 12oclock for tickets but, looking at what prevoius people have had too do, think it would be an early start. If anyone could advise us we would be gratefull, would like a reasonable chance at getting good seats.

6 November 2015 at 15:08

Well Brenda, you sound super-excited!! Congratulations on getting a ticket (well done Kirsty!). You’re going to Blackpool too! If the Elstree experience is anything to go by, if it were me, then I’d be there a good couple of hours before the validation time if you want good seats. Karen (below) is also after some guidance, but as it’s such a one-off in terms of the live shows, it’s hard to say.

I think that it is a very different experience to Elstree, in that you’re not sent away and told to come back, you wait until you go into the Tower Ballroom. I can’t remember where I read it, but that’s what sticks in my mind.

6 November 2015 at 19:43

I would rather it was as Elstree but, I think the pick up time for tickets is 12 0’clock so by time we get tickets its time too be taken into ballroom. Have been too the tower ballroom for a Salsa event it’s a fantastic venue . Thanks for replying will post after event for others too see.

6 November 2015 at 19:49

Brenda, someone else might reply soon too! It’s the home of ballroom, and it will be a-maz-ing… Will send all good vibes with you up the M6, and would love to have your experience.

6 November 2015 at 22:22

I’ve got tickets for Blackpool too but really not sure whether to go or not. I was thrilled when I got the text message but reading all the extra details makes it feel like quite a daunting experience. I don’t think I would feel this way if I lived closer to Blackpool but I’m in Norfolk, 5 hours away.

Validation starts at midday so I figure you’d need to get there about 9am to make sure you got a ticket. In the details it says that once your ticket is validated, you get moved in to a holding area until you are allowed in the Ballroom at 4pm. So it’s not like Elstree where you can go away and come back later in the day. You would need to be all glammed up when you join the queue.

I can’t believe I’m seriously considering not going when I’ve been applying for years and years.

6 November 2015 at 22:32

Oh Yvonne! What a decision! You don’t have to decide now, today….

7 November 2015 at 08:23

Yvonne I feel exactly the same as you! I have tickets for bkackpool and I was so excited but now I’m not so sure. I can’t believe you are expected to queue all dressed up in who knows what weather for hours! I was ready to queue in my warm clothing for how ever long it took knowing that I could go off once validated get dressed and return. But for some reason the BBC feel it appropriate to make you wait for hours outside then again insideto attend the show in Blackpool. Is it really worth it? Someone mentioned here about feeling like cattle being rounded up and that there is no regard for the audience they are just convenient props to clap and laugh when required. sadly I agree shame on you BBC

7 November 2015 at 09:56

Hi Shelly – Glad I’m not also Expected! I think some of my friends think I’m mad because I’m waivering about it. Do you have far to travel as well?

11 November 2015 at 11:32

My daughter and I are starting too think about not going for the same reason as others , not sure I would be ok with the time standing around and lack of food and drink. A friend of mine was really jealous, when I told her, then gave her some of detais she said she wouldnt have been able too go as, she is a diabetic which is sad, as she comes from Blackpool and did competitions when younger in the ballroom many memories for her!

11 November 2015 at 18:45

Come on BBC sort it out for the sake of the people like Shelly’s friend

28 November 2015 at 21:38

Shelly, Yvonne…hi its Pauline I live in Shropshire and like you i love the show and have grown up with ballroom and ballet. My Mum and Dad were brilliant dancers and reached teacher levels in ballroom dancing aaannnd according to my Dad performed in front of Len Goodman!! So to get tickets for Blackpool was such a thrill, however we had doubts re timing, facilities etc…and Yes you di see more from your armchair but to be there at a live performance would be awesome. We actually didn’t make it to Blackpool due to the awful weather and I’d had a chest infection with a dreadful cough and was really worried about having an attack during the performance…my husbund joked ” would the lady with the hacking cough please leave the ballroom” putting this aside i was gutted and have felt down all week….BUT this wonderful blog set up by Julia has proved to me others feel like i have. Jyst watched this Saturdays show 28th Nov and know that i ill be definitely applying for tickets to Elstree next year, the whole set up re validation time and return time is so much better and with the hotels so close by makes it a 10 from me! Lots of love and lets look forward to 2016!xx

7 November 2015 at 09:40

Hello I have tickets for next weekend!!!So so excited, this has all been really helpful and I’m sorry if this question has already been answered – I didn’t have time to read alllllll of them ! We are driving to elstree – where’s the best place to park? I can see there is a tesco very close but I am worried about getting clamped or something….

7 November 2015 at 09:59

I think the IBIS car park was close, and has an all day charge. Tesco you would risk your car. I think I need to plough through the comments and update the main blog (I’d been threatening to do that). Something for a wet Sunday, methinks! I’m sure someone will confirm directly to you….

8 November 2015 at 22:25

Hello. There is a big car park behind the IBIS hotel which is only a 5 min walk from the studio.

7 November 2015 at 09:49

And Julia I forgot to say thanks for this amazing blog! I’m annoyed with the process especially for those elderly or incapacitated that have to endure this long process but appreciate the time you have taken to keep others informed that are willing to go through it and the comments section is really helpful.

7 November 2015 at 10:00

You’re welcome! I never expected it to be such a valuable resource for people. It really pleases me that it is!

7 November 2015 at 10:01

7 November 2015 at 09:57

I meant to say – glad I’m not alone!

7 November 2015 at 13:39

Hi Yvonne I’m travelling from the channel islands. Still undecided if I am prepared to queue in my frock at the mercy of the elements. It’s a shame with blackpool they can’t let you validate and go off to get changed as they do with the other recordings.

8 November 2015 at 10:55

Hi Shelly & Yvonne

Feel the same way as you, we are coming from Devon and the 2-3 hours queuing to be validated followed by the three hour wait in a foyer to go in (and get ripped off buying overpriced food and drink), wearing the same glamorous clothes – takes the edge of what should be a delightful experience

We are in our 40s and fit but i can imagine anyone a bit older or any kind of issues would say, no way BBC. Run by young producers who just want additional glitter to add to the show and don;t really think about the people methinks.

8 November 2015 at 17:03

Hi Simon – I hope it all goes well for you and you enjoy your day. I’ve decided not to go Gutted but feel relieved since I made my decision. Missing Take That too – double disappointment. Hopefully I’ll get tickets to Elstree one day!

9 November 2015 at 22:27

Yvonne I’m so sorry you have decided not to go to Blackpool. The palaver of a full day does sound like a chore! But if by any chance in the world you don’t have any local strictly fans to donate your tickets to, I would so love to go and take my mum. Happy to make a donation to a charity and send you a big thank you too! I hope you aren’t offended by my asking, it’s a bit cheeky to ask but you just never know! Thanks in hope! 😉

7 November 2015 at 10:53

Thanks Julie for doing this Blog . I am sure it has been most helpful to those looking to go. I wander if anyone high up in the BBC read it and take note of the comments. If the don’t perhaps they should and make it a better experience for those paying their wages. I am glad I am not queuing today, wet, windy and miserable and that’s before you get anywhere near getting into the studio. The best car park is the Civic car park right next to the IBIS hotel and a short walk to the Studio. £5 for the day. Hope it is still not raining when you return at 3pm all Glamed up!!!! Has anyone this year not been able to get in?

8 November 2015 at 18:38

I think anyone who has read this blog before going would risk joining the queue after 8am, so can’t see that they’d miss out.

8 November 2015 at 18:45

I was in the audience last night and WOW … what an experience!! The whole day was so surreal & crazy but amazing from start to finish!!

Stayed at the Premier Inn, which is a 2 min taxi ride or 10 min walk away, joined the queue in the pitch black 5.45am, set out our camping chairs (I would highly recommend everyone to bring them because I could not have stood up till validation (which happened for us at 9.20am) We were sat between some lovely ladies who I’m sad to say we didn’t formally introduce ourselves by name but there was a lovely girl on her own with a chair, sleeping bag & hot water bottle and a mother & daughter who hadn’t brought chairs so when we needed to stretch our legs we shared our chairs with them!! It was so lovely to be with such friendly & chatty people. It made the time go quickly & even when the rain started to pour, everyone was still in high spirits!! We were validated with seat numbers 103 & 104 & told to return at 3pm.

At 3pm we arrived and were led into the holding room. This felt like the longest part but we had a drink, posed for our free strictly photo & then it was time to go in!

Walking into the stage was incredible! So many lights & colours! I couldn’t believe how small the studio is! Looks so much bigger on tv! We were seated directly behind the judges table, three rows back! Great seats except when the dancers were in the middle of the floor, you couldn’t see their feet!! Tess is such a pro, she was really ill & was losing her voice but stayed so professional throughout. Claudia is absolutely hilarious!!! The warm up man was really funny also, so quick witted & kept us all laughing! The live part of the show was amazing! Loved every second! The second part where the Sunday night part is filmed was the tough part because by then you are so tired & your hands hurt from the clapping!!

But overall the whole experience from start to finish was incredible & I feel so lucky that I’ve experienced it! What a day!! I was a strictly fan already but this has confirmed to me how much I love it!!! Xxxx

8 November 2015 at 22:16

Lovely to read your assessment! Thrilled it lived up to expectations – how lucky were you to see THAT charleston? Amazing! You lucky, lucky thing! xx

8 November 2015 at 19:54

I’m so glad I found this blog – thank you Julia for giving us a place to ask the questions that don’t seem to be answered anywhere else. I was so excited to have got tickets for Blackpool but is it really the case that I will have to get there for about 9am (to stand a decent chance of getting a good seat) and can’t escape until after the show finishes? And I have to be dressed in my sparkly outfit? In late November? I have read through the information from the email but thought I must have got that wrong – we must surely be allowed to leave to get a decent meal then get changed, put on evening makeup and high heels etc. I don’t feel quite so excited now…

8 November 2015 at 22:18

You’re welcome – and I hope someone can answer you for sure! But, I think your assessment is right. Once in the queue you stay in the queue. It doesn’t work like Elstree does…. It will be a night to remember, so if you can bear it, I’d go for it….

8 November 2015 at 22:42

Hi Maria (& Julia) – I think your understanding of the situation at Blackpool is spot on (unfortunately). Well that’s how I read it too.

9 November 2015 at 21:59

First of all thank you Julie for this blog, the information helped us so much last weekend on our strictly experience! We stayed at the Premier inn, only a 10 minute walk away. We joined the queue at 6am where we met two lovely ladies from Ireland (the first lady in the queue had arrived at 3am!!!) Our tickets were finally validated at around 9.20 and we were 117/118. So when we got into the studio we were sat directly behind the judges! Worth the wait for sure what an experience!!

10 November 2015 at 08:35

Woo hoo! Glad you had such a great experience! I really enjoyed the show from in front of the log fire!

9 November 2015 at 22:34

If anyone has any tickets for Blackpool but doesn’t want to go, and doesn’t have anyone interested in them within friends and family, would you consider giving them to me?! I’d love to go and take my mum! Would be happy to make a donation to charity of your choice! Very cheeky request, I know, but would kick myself for not trying! Thanks in advance! 😉

10 November 2015 at 09:13

Please could you let me know if possible where you can go in the Tower at Blackpool once registration is complete after 12 noon . Are you bundled into an area with nothing else to do for 3 hours or can you go anywhere in the tower for instance the circus if you pay until its time to go in the Ballroom for filming. Also what are the arrangements to be able to get dinner after registration. Dont fancy having to wear the same gear for 10 hours especially if got wet waiting outside.If you cannot get changed and a lot of people dont know this it would serve the BBC right if everyone turned up in jeans and a T Shirt (like some celebrities do !!!)

10 November 2015 at 09:52

Hi John, that’s a very good question! I’ve no idea, but hopefully someone else will…. It did say STRICTLY no jeans on my ticket last year, but, I take your point!! Hope the day works perfectly for you!

10 November 2015 at 12:40

I have had a call from a lovely lady at the Blackpool Tower after I had sent an e-mail to them regarding what happens. She couldn’t really help me too much but said if she hears any more news on the matter she will let me know and if I hear anything I will place it on this blog .Sshe stated that it is true that once you are in you are in and that you cannot wander around other attractions. I asked whether you are put in a room and she said yes as far as she knows . You will have refreshments but god knows what (probably a kit kat lol ). She said if it was her she would bring a packed lunch, a book and or I Pod and other clothes to change into .There will be toilets but can you imagine 400 wanting to change especially the women (lol ahaha) Cant imagine 400 people stuck in a room with nothing to do working or worse than that standing up outside the ballroom. If that’s so I think even my wife will give up.

10 November 2015 at 12:50

Good work John!! Let’s hope the atmosphere in the queues are the same as we’ve experienced in Elstree (even outside in the rain!!). I loved chatting all things Strictly with people. Anyway, wishing that it works smoothly and you have the best of times.

10 November 2015 at 12:03

Just another example of how the BBC treats its audience. No real consideration as long as they can produce the show that all they care about

10 November 2015 at 12:47

Oh Bob! They do have a responsibility to the however-many million viewers. 400 people in the audience are just a part of the production. But what a production!

10 November 2015 at 20:47

Lovely Blog But I have to disagree with you, they should have far more consideration for those who make the show sound exciting. After all the Public are the people who pay their TV licence to make the show possible.

10 November 2015 at 22:12

Ah Bob, we can disagree and still be friends! Whilst people would walk over hot coals to be there, in truth, there’s little change needed from their perspective. I do get your points, but think little will change. Actually, something did! One person to validate. Perhaps the BBC will read this and listen to you/us… Wouldn’t that be something, even if it were to un-cable tie the bloomin’ chairs!

10 November 2015 at 11:24

OK- here’s my blow by blow of last Saturday 7th. Best day ever by the way!! Came up from south of Bristol (Midsomer norten) Friday night and stayed at IBIS- great hotel but walls are thin so was hard to get to sleep as they were filming the Children in Need show on sat as well, so lots of excited kids in hotel and obviously being excited myself didn’t help me sleep much, anyway got head down around 11pmish. IBIS hotel- You get parking validated as a guest and I got my car park ticket issued until the Sunday (for free) so could park behind IBIS and not worry for the sat about the car at all. Also you can get late checkout for extra 20 (we did, i also requested this in an email during booking in case they were full on the Saturday) and you have until 5pm rather than 12pm to leave the room. We did get staff knocking on door to turn around room just after 12pm so if you don’t book the later checkout you could risk being made to go then. As it was raining and we wanted to take time getting ready we always planned leaving later. So Saturday morning: Got up at 315am and made some tea for flask and walked over to maxwell road- literally 5mins away- over pedestrian crossing to the left of the hotel and then down maxwell road. Should say my friend met me at 730am so most of the morning was on my own but not a problem everyone in queue are lovely- same as you very excited and super strictly fans. Got to the queue for just after 3.30am. I knew was in right place seeing a bunch of people huddled in chairs next to the gates. I was 8th in the queue and nos 11 and 12 tickets. (Yes only one person needs to be there to validate both tickets and no ID required- I didn’t have any with me). first people queuing at 245am. Everyone was amazing in the queue. We all brought big brollies and camping chairs (defo recommend the chairs- dump them in the car after validation). Time really did fly even though there was some downpours. As mentioned the IBIS hotel staff come over around 730 with free tea and warm croissants for everyone. Queuing info- I have photos of queue at various times but don’t know how to post these up (if you can let me know i will so you get an idea of the queue). Basically, from around 6am there was a good approx 50 or so people and then it grew quickly from there on. Quite quiet between 4-6 with the odd couple of people every 15mins or so. For our show we had less tickets available on the day so not sure if everyone got in as there was reserved seating for servicemen- this meant that for some people who would normally get front row seats these were already reserved so some people were sitting in different places then would normally for a show depending on validation numbers. Was a bit of a pain waiting another 15 mins past the hour for the validation (they arrived at 9.15am) as it was raining quite heavily by then and had waited so long but the process was super fast. Told to get back at 3pm. We then put all the stuff in the car and drove off to the massive Tesco down the road to pick up a few things. You could walk as it was not far but raining so we got lazy and drove knowing we coudl re-park the car behind IBIS for whole day. As we were told you can bring in bottled water right into the studio as long as it was a screwcap and not opened, so we brought some in tescos and also lots of sweets and cereal bars in our handbags. this tesco is the biggest I’ve seen so we also did a bit of Christmas shopping as well. Now if you are staying at IBIS, I would then partake in the buffet breakfast open until 12pm and we just ate and ate around 11am. We got ready and started heading to studio for 230pm but got told to come back at 3pm as the children in need show was still filming. This was the only annoying part of the process as some staff kept telling us different times to come back to the queue even though initially it was 3pm. I think because they were filming two shows they were all a little confused. We got to the queue again at 3pm anyway (still raining a little) and got let in just after 3pm around 310pm. There is a wait while people put things into cloakroom so can be a pain if you are waiting to get into holding area (esp for us as still raining) but we got in quickly as were close to the front of the queue and we also decided to dump our big umbrella (had hole in anyway) and not bother with coats or mobiles (left in car before heading to afternoon queue) so could make quick getaway. It was useful as recording finished at 10pm and I was home south of Bristol before 12.30am so getting out was really fast and no waiting in any more queues!. Do not fret about bags in studio- some ladies got away with plastic carrier bags. A clutch bag is definitely fine but some had normal handbags as well, these will be searched but for recording devices. We didn’t have any food/water taken away so were quite hydrated and not too hungry. I have to say I didn’t mind the holding area. we got our photos done at the photo booth holding fake judges paddles (free photo) and went to the toilet a couple of times (portaloos outside the holding area so those with mobility issues ensure you give yourself plenty of time). We then relaxed on chairs near the studio door. As time got closer to go in though, you could fell the tension rising in the tent and people started to amass near these doors. We were more relaxed having been speaking to the great Sonia (hi Sonia!), who knew everything about the process for tickets (real resource of information), as she knew the first 18-20 were called first (after those needing special assistance), and get queued in numerical order so all very fair if you got up early and queued as long as we did! You are then led into studio and we got sat in the two row either side of the main camera opposite the band. I was on the left hand side on the end of the row next to the main cameras and Teleprompter. The view was amazing and they were in great seats although not really filmed (which we preferred). The professionals would come in and out during their pro dances and chat to us, as did the production cast and crew. I got a high 5 from Jeremy Vine and a big (sweaty) cuddle from Giovanni after the pro dance. It was an amazing experience. I loved it and made me even more appreciative of the quick set changes and work put in by all the cast and crew. Downside is definitely the closeness and size of the seats. They are tiny and you will get a numb backside so I recommend stretching your legs between live show and Sunday recording as it is very uncomfortable. Laos be prepared for sitting down for near 6 hours! There is little space between you and your neighbours (so get to know them so you can have a laugh about it), depending where you sit but as I plugged for the aisle seat I had a little more room but had to be aware of cameras and props coming in and out and stay behind the red tape. You can space out the chairs a little as they are cable tied but could move 3 chairs at a time so improved the sideways space. The show was amazing, the dances fantastic, so many good ones that Saturday, and they appeared to dance much faster than watching on TV. Big shocks for the Sunday show, I kept it a secret from everyone as it would spoil what was quite a surprising result (well perhaps at least one of the couples in the bottom two). You leave feeling like you seen something truly magical (I certainly did). I highly recommend going- never get this chance again probably as 4.8million people apply for tickets and we are the lucky ones!!! But be prepared for a few aches and pains the next day – give yourself a nice bath and don’t plan anything too strenuous on the Sunday. Best day ever!!! a couple of hours of queuing for pure magic- easy choice for me- I would go again in a heartbeat and do nothing different expect perhaps hope for a drier day and maybe stay another night at the IBIS so I could mull around after the show finishes and try to chat to some more dancers. If you have any specific questions, I am happy to answer them if about Elstree studio experience. Cant help with any Blackpool queries. Keep dancing!!!

10 November 2015 at 12:44

WOW, Gemma, gold star for your account! Sounds like you utterly loved it, inspite of the weather. If I can email you directly, you can email the photos and I can add to the blog itself – would that be OK? Another example of how the queueing isn’t the end of the world, but somehow adds to the excitement. Keeeeep dancing, indeed!

10 November 2015 at 17:19

Good review there Gemma! I queued from 6.30am and got tickets 159/160. We were sat near the back by the stairs they run up to see Claudia. That bit was fab, but we were disappointed as we could hardly see anything at all of the main show – you are on the same level as the row in front and viewing is very restricted. Was still a fab night and a great experience.

10 November 2015 at 19:02

Oh Lord, think I am better off arriving later and getting the cushion seats in the balcony with a better view them!

10 November 2015 at 14:46

I am going this weekend, armed with all your advice, staying in the IBIS for 2 nights so will let you know what it’s like to hang around! Thank you so much all of you, Mum and I are very, VERY excited!!

10 November 2015 at 17:21

Hi Steph, what time are you planning to arrive in the queue? I’ll look out for you! Saturday is going to be cold apparently, not like the mild weather others have enjoyed in the past few weeks! Ugh!

10 November 2015 at 18:22

Don’t worry Barbara, I queued last year mid December- it was minus degrees at 6.30am & tickets then weren’t validated til midday, we were not too cold despite 6 hours waiting. Enjoy the queue it was great fun.

10 November 2015 at 18:59

Ok Sam, I believe you! Have just ordered an inflatable cushion from Amazon after all the comments re hard chairs! And have found the old camping chair full of mould . Can’t wait (ironic)

10 November 2015 at 20:26

Its not your bottom that will hurt. You will end up with a hunched back!!!! or sore arms trying to keep them into your side!!!

10 November 2015 at 19:05

If you arrive at 7am for validation but staying overnight at Ibis can you get a free parking ticket from the hotel at that time?

10 November 2015 at 19:29

I’m sure they can help you. Perhaps email then first and explain what you would like. I only stayed Friday night with late check out and got validated Friday night until end of Sunday. They are really accommodating. Reminds me to write a great trip advisor review. My friend arrived at 730 am sat morning and parked in the smaller hotel car park until 930am when we got back to hotel and then got her parking ticket validated until end of Sunday. We only chanced no ticket as she was in the smaller car park closest to hotel and only for an couple of hours before we got back. Wouldn’t chance no ticket in bigger car park..checked this with the crossiant guy

12 November 2015 at 16:25

thanks for that info, big help as I will be validating tickets on my own and don’t want to waste time messing about in car park when I could be enjoying myself(?) in the queue! LoL

10 November 2015 at 23:38

Hey Everyone,

Wanted to give an official run down of SCD audience experience after attending last Saturday 7th Nov. This is the third time I have been lucky enough to have received tickets.

Previously I have just joined the queue an hour our so before validation and had no problems getting in. Last year I was around number 280 validated and ended up in the balcony next the Claudia’s interview corner – fantastic view and got really close to celebs and dancers. The previous time I was sat behind judges and as many of the rows are on the same level, views are pretty restricted. Seats really are allocated at random so you never really know for sure where you are going to be seated.

This year I thought I would try and get the best seats and view possible by queuing from silly o’clock in the morning after reading blogs that suggested the first few people in the queue get front row seats.

To start with the tickets were not in my name – they were a friends who forwarded them on. Concerned I wouldn’t be admitted as they weren’t in my name I rang the BBC on the number listed on the bottom of the tickets – they were helpful and made a note to say that I was picking up the tickets and confirmed I could pick them up on my own – so two people do not need to queue.

I drove down from the Midlands around 1am and arrived in the IBIS car park around 2am. It’s free till 8am when you will need to go back and put 2 hours on. When I walked across to the SCD queue at 2.10am there was already two people in it but I was next. Over the next 7 hours (the first few went fast, the last less so) more and more people joined until tickets were validated at 9.10 am and I was given 3 and 4. I hasten to add here that no ID is checked and barcodes are just scanned. In fact my tickets had a girls name on them! The couple that were numbers 1 and 2 in the queue had told me they had been 1 and 2 before and had got seats on the front row next to the staircase leading up to Claudia’s interview space and that the first 6 in queue would be in front row.

We were told to arrive back at 3pm (which we did) but it took a while to get into the holding area as children were coming out of the earlier recording. Once inside we got a drink and had our free photo taken in the SCD photo-booth with props etc. Incidentally I got chatting to a couple from Ireland who had turned up to have tickets validated at 11.30 am (2.5 hours after validation started) and they got numbers 490 and 491 – so even turning up that late, they still got in!

There are loads of announcements to let everyone know that there would be plenty of notice when we would be called into the studio in number order. However, there was very little notice and I have to be honest when they announced the first 30 could go in, it was a bit of a panic/scrum/ free for all. The announcer asks politely that people honour the numbers they were in the queue e.g. to allow others that queued earlier to go first but most ignore this and just push there way through. Luckily we were near the door when this was announced – however numbers 1 and 2 were not and the group were escorted in regardless. The first 5 audience members were given front row seats opposite the stage with the celebs such as Gabby and Kenny Logan, Scott Mills and Danny Dyer sat immediately the right of us. There were 7 seats in the front row of this section and 7 behind and then a gap for cameras and the same to the left. Unfortunately numbers 1 and 2 ended up on the row behind as others had pushed ahead which seemed pretty unfair but goes to show that things are bit unpredictably organised when entering the studio.

Normally I believe the first 28 audience members would be seated is this section but as there were lots of armed forces personnel present many seats were saved for them and the public were only allocated 5 seats on the front row.

We were very lucky to get such great seats and it made the queuing worth it but I suppose my advice to anyone going is that there are no guarantees when it comes to seating. If you are one of the first in you get the best chance of a front row seat but the BBC’s priority is just getting you in – they don’t care how long you have queued and the priority is the show for people at home. Everyone who gets a ticket is lucky and a great view really is a bonus. Being part of the atmosphere and event is really the unique factor.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. This blog has been really helpful so want to contribute to helping others if I can.

11 November 2015 at 08:22

That’s really interesting Graeme – perhaps it will give hope that you don’t have to be slightly bonkers to queue at silly o’clock! Mind you, third time? I’m not sure we should be talking to you!

11 November 2015 at 09:10

What a fantastic round up Graeme! Thanks for info about the car park pay time starting at 8am and good to know those arriving after validation still got in. Obviously there are more than 400 tickets available…

11 November 2015 at 10:05

Hi graeme I honoured the numerical queuing and think it might have been you or someone else I let in front of me and mu friend as the queue system went crazy and things got pushy at the stage door. I sat on the row behind you but on the left end of the row closer to main camera so had a super view as was slightly staggered. Glad you both had such a good time.

11 November 2015 at 10:57

You star! It’s funny, because when we were there everyone was so very well behaved – very British!

11 November 2015 at 11:03

Having commented on this blog twice in the last few days I have managed to find out more details about the Blackpool show. The audience entrance will be the Bank Hey St entrance opposite Primark.

BBC Studio audience staff will be on site from 12 noon to validate tickets. Once your ticket has been validated you will proceed into the Circus waiting area of the Tower. Please be aware that once you have gone through security you must stay in the waiting area until we proceed to the ballroom. Please note before this time no audience members can be admitted and you will be queuing outside. Please come prepared for the weather conditions and please note there are no external seating areas, refreshment or toilet facilities available before coming on site. Please remember to bring along tickets for validation. One ticket holder can now validate both tickets.

Unfortunately not everyone who receives a ticket turns up so we have to over issue tickets to ensure full studio. We decide carefully how many tickets to issue as it is important to have a full studio but the last thing we want to do is disappoint people on the night.

Please come dressed prepared for the weather conditions. There is no cloakroom on site and we cannot accept responsibility for bags, coats or changes of clothes. Mobile phones and cameras are not allowed in the studio so please leave them at home if you can, otherwise they will be taken from you at the security vetting area upon arrival and returned to you on leaving

Tickets will be scanned on entry to ensure nobody duplicates tickets. Please note that on entry you will go through a security screening process and any dangerous items will be confiscated. You can bring a small amount of individually wrapped food items into the circus. Only water in plastic screw top bottle scan be taken into the ballroom. You can purchase refreshments in the holding area. You may be in the waiting area for up to 3 hours. A chocolate bar and a juice drink will be provided after the live show. Food will not be allowed in the ballroom.

The approx. end time is around 10:30pm. Hope this helps people .

11 November 2015 at 15:56

Go to the top of the class John!

11 November 2015 at 19:08

Anyone give me information on the Blackpool venue know the Ballroom well, but , not read anything about getting tickets or what happens once in there so if any info! would be greatfull.

12 November 2015 at 08:03

John has posted up a couple of great comments, you might just need to scroll through them. It’s getting a bit mad on here!!

11 November 2015 at 19:57

My lovely wife has managed to get tickets for the 28th Nov. Would you belive we have tickets to see the filming of Take Me Out the week before also. Must buy a lottery ticket haha. Anyway, wife is in panic mode as a new outfit is needed, apparently!. Anyway Julia. Thanks for this blog as it has answered all our questions and I’m informed were getting there at 4.30am so soooo looking forward to that. Were staying at the Premier Inn on the Friday and Sat night. Will post details of our experience after the show.

12 November 2015 at 08:06

Craig, I want your luck! Another satisfied reader! Strictly Public Broadcast Service lives on. Happy days! I like the later shows, as the dancing just gets better and better! Look forward to your experiences and have a magical time!

12 November 2015 at 10:51

Hi Craig Hope you have a great time. The dancing does get better but unless you are one of the very few fortunate people to get a good seat you will only see it most of the time from waist up. Fingers crossed (and legs) you get a good seat

12 November 2015 at 19:38

Bob. Hopefully as we’re getting there at 4.30am we should get in first 20 seats. What concerns me now is other not respecting that when called into the studio from the marquee. I have read on here others rush to the door when it opens even though they have higher tickets. And more feedback on that?????

13 November 2015 at 01:01

Hi Craig Cant really help you on that as we were 79 and 80th . Two groups were called in before us. When our numbers were called up to go in, there did not seem to be any pushing in. As you are likely to be one of the first in I suggest you try and sit or stand near the entrance to the studio. As you enter the marquee it is other far right hand side..You may lose your seat if you decide to go and have your free photo taken. Good Luck

13 November 2015 at 06:46

I was at the show last weekend and in the holding room everyone does stand nearer the front when it’s time to go in but you are called in blocks of numbers so maybe 1-20, 20-50 and so on. There were staff on the doors checking your numbers as you are led through. I would hope that they are checked properly and if anyone had a higher number that hasn’t been called yet, they wouldn’t be allowed through. When you get inside, the seats don’t actually have numbers on them which match, it’s sections that they use. So dependant on what range of seat numbers you have is where you’ll be seated. We were led into a section, then led to a row & told to sit. The ladies I queued with in the morning were in my same row but not directly next to me. Hopefully this helps. Any questions please just ask xxx

13 November 2015 at 10:18

Thanks Maxine

That does help me and give some reassurance.

I will feed back how I get on.

11 November 2015 at 22:56

Hello, I have tickets for this Saturday, and I am super excited!! Going down from Liverpool on Fri evening and planning on Queing early. Could anyone tell me, when you are in the holding area before going into the studio for filming, do you go through the same doors you entered in? Or are the studio doors in another part of the room? I will be damned if anyone is going to try and shove me out of the way if I had been in the que before 6am and they haven’t. This is such a wonderful blog, I’m so glad I found it! I will be sure to give any advice after my experience 🙂

12 November 2015 at 08:07

All power to your elbows. May they be wide and firm! Hope it all goes smoothly, and can’t wait to have a Blackpool experience! I’m really pleased you’ve found this helpful, it’s gone places I never expected.

12 November 2015 at 08:17

Studio doors are in the top right corner at the opposite end of the entrance to holding area 🙂

12 November 2015 at 22:09

Thank you very much, I will be straight there haha!

12 November 2015 at 08:38

Oh my. Big Blonde moment… It’s not Blackpool this weekend is it? To the back of the class Julia!

13 November 2015 at 12:40

Anyone get front row in the balcony and if so what ticket number were you and what time did you arrive in the queue? Don’t fancy sitting out in the howling wind and rain tomorrow to end up in the back row of the stalls so thought I’d aim for a later ticket number and hope I get lucky!

13 November 2015 at 13:40

Around 280 for balcony – but I would caveat that by saying that i think its pretty random some weeks!

13 November 2015 at 17:39

Thanks Graeme, I appreciate it’s pretty random but gives me good reason not to feel I have to get completely soaking wet from “silly o clock”!

13 November 2015 at 14:21

We have tickets for tomorrow, I am beyond excited!! We are planning to get in the queue by 6am….not looking forward to being battered about by these winds though! Will post an update once its all over. Julia, this is a great resource – thanks so much!

13 November 2015 at 16:21

You’re welcome! At least it should be dry… Until you come out! We’re sending up the really wild stuff from Cornwall later in the day, just as you exit from the glittery world! You’ll be too happy to care by then!

13 November 2015 at 21:54

Well super excited, have arrived at the Premier Inn and walked down to Maxwell road, it took 9 mins and really easy to find. Chair, blanket, umbrella and flask all ready, alarm set for 5.30am so night night and will blog tomorrow once I have been validated!

13 November 2015 at 22:00

We’re with you Anna! ✨✨

14 November 2015 at 07:44

Right behind you Anna…its 7am and am actually 200 people behind you!!

14 November 2015 at 08:38

Hey Barbara

Is it raining there?

14 November 2015 at 09:45

Rain started 8.15 so only had an hour of getting soaked! Got tickets 255 & 256 from queue time of 7.15

14 November 2015 at 09:51

Let’s hope you dry out – and fingers crossed for front row balcony for you! Enjoy! ✨✨✨

13 November 2015 at 22:50

Were booked in the Premier inn in 2 weeks and planning on being in the queue at 4.30 so will look forward to your feedback. Hope all goes well and enjoy the show.

15 November 2015 at 23:29

Well here goes! Was a tad too excited to sleep so up at 4am, flask of coffee , waterproofs, chair, umbrella and dressed like the Michelin man I headed of to Maxwell road – arrived in the Q by 4.20am and numbers 27 and 28 although Derek was still nicely tucked up in bed! You only need one person in the Q to validate your ticket. Time flew by dribs and drabs of people by 6am the Q was to the 4th lamp post and about 200 people, at 7am did a coffee run to Macdonalds a short walk away, the Q the banter was great , met some lovely people Nicky, Laura, Anne and Lou. At 8 the Q had gone beyond the 6th lamppost and people continued to arrive. The rain started at 9am so we had been really lucky as dry and cold is better than being wet for hours. We were validated at 9.15am and I was back at the hotel by 9.30am. We had been told to be back at 3pm. Derek had organised for us to have a lunch in st Albans and as we where driving home after the show, we got dressed up, checked out and headed for lunch at 12pm. Nice and relaxed way to spend a couple of hours. At 2.30pm we headed back and parked at the council car park behind the Ibis, it’s free after 6pm so only had to pay 3.50. It has been raining constantly all day, we had bought with us some disposable ponchos to cover up (I would recommend not taking in a coat, bag or anything you need to check in as the Q on the way out looked tragic and we just breezed on by). We waited in the Q to get in for about 30mins, then they let you through in batches, into a holding marquee which has lots of seats, TV’s, bar, photo booth and hot drinks. Someone kept us motivated with prizes, info on what next etc. At 4.20pm they called seats 1-26, at this point this is my only negative comment, everyone had been so nice and Nicky, Laura were 25/26 so they went through first, we knew I would be the first of the next batch with Derek, Anne and Lou the security guard confirmed but there where two despicable women seats 44 and 45 who where intent on pushing us out of the way to be at the front, no manners no Strictly loyalty to others just brazen with their rudeness, I stood to the side to block them and we got through but they managed to sit behind us in seats which should have been for others who had Q’d earlier, shocking behavior!! So have your wits about you for this when you get the 5 min warning make your way to the doors to make sure you don’t miss your hard earned slot. Anyway once through you are led to your seats. Ours were about 6rows back to the left of the judges with perfect view of the band, Tess ran up and down past us all night, the judges talked to us and I offered Aliash a leg massage. We were part of 2 pre records and had 3 music acts too. Lots of star spotting as these seats were directly opposite the celebs and families! The comedian kept us going and Tess/Clau came to chat. I cannot express enough that the only negative was the behavior of others. This was by far the best experience ever, it was a long, excitable day and worth every shiver, raindrop, numb bum or muscle spasm from too much sitting and clapping. My main advice, keep your spirits up in the morning, get in the Q early to get nice seats, glam up and enjoy every second of this amazing experience…Keep dancing!

16 November 2015 at 11:13

Fab-u-lous! I believe in karma, so 44 & 45, it’ll come back!

14 November 2015 at 15:37

There’s a market for sparkly brollies #iloveaqueuecanwedothisagain

15 November 2015 at 18:00

Security tightened at Strictly after Paris tragedy. For all those attending shows in the coming weeks please be aware that the advice of arriving to get into studio from 3pm went out the window last night.(14 Nov show) We followed blog’s advice and turned up a bit later at 3.45 to find a queue longer than the one we joined in the morning. We decided to stand in the under hang of an underground garage opening half way down Maxwell Rd as it was raining and very windy and we had no coats on. We waited and waited until at 4pm went to find out what was happening.BBC gate staff told us they had to do thorough security checks so only about 20 people admitted at a time. We eventually got into marquee at 4.30 and they started admitting by groups before everyone was in. There was a semi civilised scrum to enter and in their haste to get everyone seated in time called block numbers only a few minutes apart meaning a lot of later numbers got in ahead of others. We had numbers 255/6 and ended up in balcony seats next to R stairs next to the band. Excellent view and a lot more space than stall seats. Very enjoyable night and a bonus extra live band pre recorded for the show in 2 weeks time. I strongly suggest future ticket holders don’t bother to arrive at studio until 4pm as waiting in terrible weather without a coat for over an hour has left me with a chill on my kidneys and a streaming cold today.! Do dress for the weather and good news is seems everyone got in. Met a couple from Leeds who arrived 9.45 am ,got ticket numbers 531/2 and had great seats in balcony too! Those waiting to get unused celeb family tickets also all got in and sat in even better seats, so in my opinion no need to queue from silly o’clock and catch pneumonia!

16 November 2015 at 09:06

Just like to say, thanks to everyone who commented on this blog, some really helpful information, everyone in the queue on Saturday was referring to it! We travelled down from Manchester on the day, got there for 7:30ish ( #287/#288 ) We were sat in the upper gallery, opposite the judges and nearer the stairs – I would say these are some of the best seats available – perfect view of the dance floor, the judges, the stairs, Claudia’s gallery, everything really ! Plus we seemed to have more leg room there as we weren’t as crammed in as they were downstairs! We were told there’s room for a grand total of 700 people inside altogether; the public allocation depends on how many tickets are claimed by the “production team” and guests, and then how many of those turn up! It seems there was around 200-250 of those leaving 400-450 for ticket holders. This will depend from week to week though. We checked into the Ibis early for an extra £20 so we could have more time to relax, the ibis is much more expensive then the Premier Inn by the way – and it was nothing special! Both are within easy walking distance. All in all I’d say there’s nothing to worry about – so long as you get there early enough. The whole day flew by and was a great experience.

16 November 2015 at 11:15

Oh wow. Fame indeed! Haha! Interesting perspective from the gallery, and you get to see the dancer’s feet?! I’d love to see in the Clauditaurium! Actually, I’d love to be IN the Clauditauriam!

19 November 2015 at 12:47

Claudiataurium – fabulous word!

19 November 2015 at 17:21

I know! I wish I could take credit for it, but sadly it’s not mine!

16 November 2015 at 12:14

First of all thanks Julia for posting this blog that has now become the go-to resource for Strictly audience members. I found all the comments, tips and advice invaluable in making Saturday a most memorable day!

Having a young family, Saturday nights out were a thing of the past and Strictly has always been our entertainment since it started back in 2004. I hadn’t considered applying for tickets to be in the audience until this year. Realising how lucky I was to get tickets on my first attempt at applying I committed to make the very most of the opportunity. So on the day I received the email, we booked the Premier Inn for two nights and Google directed us to this blog. Here is our experience. Not sure whether I can offer any further advice to that given above but wanted to share our day… We left Cheshire at 5pm and after depositing a child and dog with my Mum en route we were in the bar of the Premier Inn by 10:30pm. After unseasonably mild weather the forecast for the morning was looking colder so the flask was prepared and winter clothes were packed in the rucksack. Alarm went off at 3am and we were dressed and loaded with chairs, umbrellas and the rucksack and starting our brisk walk by 20 past. At the end of Maxwell Road in the dim light we came across the gate we guessed was the entrance to the studio. Huddled by it were several dark figures wrapped in scarves, blankets, woolly hats some sat under umbrellas to shelter from the wind rather than the rain. From a distance I said to my wife that we were either approaching the start of the queue or were stumbling on a group of homeless people! It was soon clear that it was the former and we said our good mornings and set up camp. It was 3:40am and we were 8th and 9th in the queue. This was the first mission accomplished. Even if the other seven people ahead of us were validating two tickets each (as is now allowed) we would still be in the first 20! Surprisingly the next 5 or so hours went really quickly as more and more people drifted past and joined the queue. The atmosphere was fantastic and the guys from the Ibis who provided free hot drinks and croissants were stars. 8:15am and the rain started and we had a soggy hour to end our wait before the BBC staff arrived to validate the tickets. The tickets were scanned and we received stickers 9 and 10 (YAY!!!) and told to come back at 3pm. After a couple of hours sleep, a bite to eat, a hot shower and the change from mountain expedition garb to evening wear, we caught our pre-ordered taxi and joined our second queue of the day in the rain! This time the queuing seemed to drag and it took over an hour to make our way through to the cloakroom, (extra) security and then the holding area. We spotted the doors to the studio and already people were gravitating that way and crowding the area. After reading previous comments about the ticket numbers not always being observed, there was no way I was going to let anybody take our rightful place near the front. We spotted our queue buddies from the morning and worked as a pack, elbows out to ensure that those of us that had put in the hours queuing got in first. We eventually were let in with the earliest tickets being stringently checked and taken to our seats. With the adrenalin of the scrum subsiding the relief of being in two of the best seats in the house kicked in. We were on the front row on the right hand side facing the orchestra with the judges to our left. My toes were virtually on the dancefloor and you could almost touch the dancers. I almost had to restrain the wife when Aljaz came over to say hello. OK you can’t stand up and you’re never on camera but as all the dances and musical acts are performed towards you and you see every dance step and link, it was well worth every second of the long morning queue!! The rest of the evening flew by as we were thoroughly entertained by the warm up, the excellent pro dance, the acts and then the live show itself. Juice, kit-kat and numb bum massage before the results show record and the tearful departure of Jeremy ended a wonderful experience. Just a bit of a wait to exit the studio and queue for the cloakroom then a 15min walk back to the Premier Inn to join our last queue of the day at the hotel bar, chatting with many of our fellow audience members all buzzing about the day! To conclude, if you’re a strictly fan, don’t mind a queue (or two) and don’t enjoy yourself, then, to quote LG “I’ll pickle me walnuts!”

16 November 2015 at 14:33

Oh wow! Lovely account, Simon… thank you for your comments and contribution. I love the notion of pack mentality to ensure your seats were as deserved. Now what would be the collective noun – a “sparkle”?

16 November 2015 at 14:20

Well I am just getting over our fabulous day on Saturday 14th, it was sooo tiring! We left home at 4.30am and arrived in the q at 6am. Took seats and blankets and the time passed by very quickly. Did a coffee run right before the Ibis hotel turned up with tea and croissants! Met some nice people in the q, got validated by about 9.30am and told to come back at 3pm. We were 131/132. Got back about 3.15 to a massive q in the rain. They had upped the security because of the awful Paris attacks so we didn’t get into the marquee until about 4.15. Once in we checked in our coats and stood around near to the studio doors. Once they started calling out numbers it was a bit of a scrum. This was my only complaint about the day. For example they called 50-100 out but then called 100-150 to be ready – so of course the 100-150 people surged to get in too. There really should be a fairer way to get people in, in the correct order. Anyway we elbowed our way in 😉 and were seated behind the judges on Craigs right, about 6 rows back. We were right by the stairs up to Claudia and could see the celebs and pros hanging over the balcony. Quite good seats. The 2 girls to our left had got there about 5.30am and the ladies to our right had got there at 7am – so you see its a bit unfair !! We were also next to the ‘wings’ where the dancers/bands were waiting to go on, so we got to blow kisses to Aliajz/Gleb and saw the bands waiting to go on. The warm up guy was hilarious and stayed the whole time to let you know what was going on. Tess and Claudia were great. We actually saw 3 bands which was so exciting. Lots of standing up, sitting down, whooping and cheering. To be honest it was exhausting but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. The best thing was seeing how it all happens behind the scenes. So many people working hard to make it look as amazing as it does. It finished by about 10pm and then there was a bit of a q to get your coats, however we were back at our car at the Tescos’s car park by 10.30 so not that bad. As someone else said previously, don’t plan much for the next day, we were exhausted yesterday! Oh forgot to say, re not eating, I didn’t feel hungry at all (and I’m usually a pig!) and took in a plastic water bottle, along with the Kitkat and juice you get. Keeeeeep dancing !!

16 November 2015 at 14:35

I’m so thrilled it all worked out Hilary! It sounds just perfect and thank you for your update!

17 November 2015 at 23:45

Thank goodness I found this ! We have booked the Holiday Inn , will this be ok ? Says only 10 mins away ? Staying the night before and returning to Midlands straight after . The queuing and uncertainty does put me off a bit . Surely ther would be a better way of doing it .

18 November 2015 at 14:40

I am quite sure if a bit of effort was employed there would be a better way to allocate tickets. But the truth of the matter is that the BBC don’t have to do more because there are enough dedicated SCD fans that will put up with the negative aspects to get tickets and so ensure a full audience. If the studio was never full and the reason was found to be the ticket allocation process then they would change it I’m sure.

We going to see Take Me Out being filmed this coming Thursday and have been given a pair of PRIORITY tickets which means we turn up 1 hour befor doors open in the evening and are guaranteed to get in. If were late or do not turn up they the remaining spaces go to those in the non priorty queue. At least this way not every one is queing all day.

18 November 2015 at 23:41

And in the bad weather too. I have seen take me out too, however was a little dissapoonted that Paddy didn’t really engage with the audience at all .

19 November 2015 at 13:15

Well said Craig What a surprise ITV have come up with a novel idea of PRIORITY tickets !!!!! Have the BBC not got anyone who can think of novel ideas like this!!!!! Come on BBC use a bit more of the Licence Payers money to employ people who can come up with novel ideas. Come to think of it are they Novel or common sense ideas? Maybe then they might have a bit more consideration for Licence Payers. Whom without them there would be not be the hit show SCD.

19 November 2015 at 17:28

When you have people saying it’s like winning the lottery, they’ve no reason to change, and I suspect they won’t. 4.8million people applying for maybe 5,000 tickets? Why would they change? I’ve never seen Take Me Out (believe it or not, don’t watch much TV for most of the year), but in some shows the audience is invisible (although heard). I know for Strictly the Beeb don’t want empty seats, so perhaps it’s a different rationale because of this.

20 November 2015 at 18:03

Just wanted to mention the hilarious conversation we had with a BBC crew member when we were at last weeks Strictly recording. We were seated directly opposite Lens lens section in the opposite balcony and were told we were directly in shot so not to drink from our water bottles during this part in case the branding was seen! When we watched it back on the Sunday night we felt about laughing as you couldn’t even us let alone any branding on a bottle! What a joke!

19 November 2015 at 13:34

There is DI but the BBC want do it while so many SCD fanatics keep saying it is a great experience. Mainly those who are lucky enough to get good seats.

19 November 2015 at 23:30

What concerns me is if it snows or bad rain? Don’t want to sit in wet clothes for hours if they keep us waiting before the show .

18 November 2015 at 23:54

I was in the queue at 6.30am last Saturday 14th of November 2015, got tickets 177 and 178, definitely single people in the queue validating two tickets as I counted 140 people infront of me, also no ID checked as couple behind me were using their relatives tickets, they queued at 9am and got ticket number 423 so queue early would be my advice, was told to come back at 3pm, had to queue for an hour in the rain before we were let in, at 4pm, I would recommend that you have something fairly warm on as soon as you get in the holding marquee you have to give your coat in straight away and the doors are open and it’s quite cold inside marquee, had my bag checked,well glanced at, I had food and water in it, which I took in, toilets outside marquee, you do get the chance to go to the loo inbetween recordings, actually managed to go before the live recording, loads of VIP’s went, so we followed. Tickets were not checked to get you in the studio, you are just asked to let people pass with lower tickets than you, bit of a push to get in, and I’m sure people went in when they shouldn’t of, as people have said, try and get near the top right door, so when your block of numbers is called you get in quite quickly. Contrary to what some people have said, yes the chairs are fairly close to one another, but the leg room was massive, I’m 5’10” ft and had over 20 inches infront of me, I would say that those who queued first, could not stand up to do standing ovations and quite often cameramen were blocking their view, we sat on righthandside of the band and had an excellent view of dancefloor and judges, also people in the balconies are not allowed to stand. Lots of clapping and cheering later we got our coats from the cloakroom, yes there was a big queue, but it soon went down, there is no way I would of been without it. All in all I felt like I had won the lottery to be there and it was worth every spot of rain, and numb bum!!! Such an amazing day and made two lovely friends who we bumped into on the Friday night, then spent the rest of the weekend with them, shared taxi’s, lunch etc… Stayed at Premier Inn, got taxi to studios only cost 4 or 5 pound, was a good idea, especially between four of us. An experience you will never forget!!!

19 November 2015 at 09:00

Thanks Elaine – it’s lovely to have different experiences and perspectives. Love the notion that it’s like winning the lottery… and that you made friends during your weekend of Strictly.

24 November 2015 at 14:41

I have tickets for the 12th December and very excited. Could anyone who has been before let me know roughly how long they queued for in the morning to get their ticket validated? I am planning to get there about 8am but wondered how long it took to get tickets validated?

Many thanks

19 November 2015 at 13:08

I was lucky enough to be at the show too last Saturday and alot of the comments from last Saturday I echo (especially the scrum to get into the studio), here’s my account that I posted on my FB page!

Mum and I had so much fun and have almost recovered after an amazing ‘mini break’ to the land of Borehamwood and being gripped by Strictly Fever! We were so lucky to get the tickets to see this amazing show being made (assigned to me by my work colleague, however no ID was needed). The whole experience is a bit crazy but magical too so I feel like I have been sprinkled with fairy dust as I am still glowing today! There is a palaver to get through before you actually know you have got a seat, as the ticket by email is actually a ‘ticket to queue’. The ‘tickets’ get validated at 9am on the Saturday, so after spending a sleepless night (way too excited to sleep!) at the IBIS we arrived at 5.30am (number 1 & 2 in the queue got there at 1.30am and the next couple at 3am). We queued with some really lovely people just as excited as us, Carmin & Darren, Julie and Tom and we were allocated number 93 and 94. I also chatted to others in the queue, a couple from Dingwall near Inverness, Robin and Roz from Lincoln and Michael and Trevor from Provence. So many people had heard of this blog too, THE place for top tips. Referred to as ‘Julia’s blog’, it’s now that famous! Anyway we went back to the IBIS and then came back in our gladrags at 3.30pm to a horrendously long queue, once in the holding area there was a bit of scrum as previously mentioned (with sharp elbows at times…) to get in to the studio and allocated your seat.

But then WOW!!

We were 5 rows back, positioned to the left of the judges as you look at them (ie behind Craig’s elbow) and right by the stairs so when all the celebs went up to chat to Claudia they went past us! A-maze-ing!! In the warm up they played ‘Who wants to be a judge?’ and I can’t resist something like that so my hand was up like a shot and got chosen to pretend to be Craig!!! Ha ha ha ha!!! I got to sit on his seat (with his sparkly pink cushion) and do an impression and then pick a paddle to score the warm up man and his partner (some poor girl from the audience) for their ‘dance’.

When the dancers started to come out Alijaz was lovely, waving, catching kisses, a few hugs to people, so nice. Not many of the others did this, and a few were quite aloof, but hey, they are doing a job. All the dancers are smaller than you think, especially Janette Manrara, she’s like a doll. The studio is smaller too than on TV, almost cosy. Everything is more sparkly and glittery and shiny than you can imagine! Tess is so much prettier in real life, Darcey is tinier than you think, and far more pretty too. Everyone is much better looking in person, Alijaz and Gleb are almost too handsome to look at! TV seems to not show what people are *really* like. Claude was hysterical, funny and rude, makes you feel relaxed, whilst Tess was more reserved almost, just saying hello and welcome. Claudia was telling us about her numerous pairs of Spanx she was wearing – both had FABULOUS killer heels on for both shows…jealous….

The filming took about 5 hours so by the end you are exhausted from whooping at every turn and lift and clapping so much your hands are swollen (yes) and you almost just want it to end….almost! We filmed bits for the results show first – the guests and links. Then straight into the live show, which is totally live and so very exciting! Then a break (free KitKat and Just Juice, woo hoo!) before more filming for the results show, before the phones line close eg Lens lens (wooooooh!!) and some other bits, more clapping, more whooping! Then they do a big chunk of the results show almost in ‘real time’, ‘first couple in the dance off spotlight’ , Claudia’s interviews, the dance off, the judges choice, the last dance for the lovely, lovely Jeremy, then over…… Big lights on, the end of the party!

They told us to leave as quick as we could as they had to pack everything up for Blackpool, but rather than standing facing the backs of others whilst waiting to get out (door was the other side of the Studio and we were NOT ALLOWED on the dance floor…big burly bouncers growling like bears!) I thought I would see if I could catch Peter Andre’s eye for an autograph, as you do! Well, one autograph, enormous squoosh and double kiss, and double kiss for mum (which made her all girlie!!) later we were on our way out of the Studio, two of the last five leaving! Peter was very polite, a great guy, very slim but sturdy! He was extremely and happy to chat, much to his ‘minder’s horror! Wished him well and to continue to do a good job!

The whole thing was an amazing crazy experience that I would recommend to anyone if you are ever lucky enough to get tickets. Book the hotel (IBIS opp the studios or the Premier Inn down the road), make a weekend out of it and just grit your teeth through the copious amounts of queuing! To be fair most of it goes quickly as you are all so excited and we all share a common interest! Worst bit was the queuing later as it took longer as security was tight following Friday’s events and it was raining so we were all getting a bit soggy! BUT all of the queuing is FAR outweighed by the atmosphere once you are in the studio. I loved every second, I think that was evidenced by the stills of me that my friends have posted on FB on the TV – OMG, on TV with my wild windswept hair and big cheesy grin. Would I do it all again? In. A. Heartbeat. x

19 November 2015 at 17:23

Positively sparkling account! Don’t suppose the cheesy grin has subsided much. Tut tut to all the people scrambling to get up the order. I’m quietly disappointed.

20 November 2015 at 10:44

Love reading everyones accounts! Can’t believe it was a week ago we were there! Steph – I was the loud whooper behind you!!! So glad you got a kiss from Peter… I was holding out for Aliajz but was happy with the blown kisses we got 😉

20 November 2015 at 13:21

Slightly off topic. Went to see Take Me Out being filmed last night at Maidstone studios. Was good fun. Anyway, this moring it turned out I have another 2 PRIORITY (guaranteed entry) tickets for Take Me Out next Thursday. We don’t want them. If anyone would like them I can email them to you.

20 November 2015 at 15:33

I am happy to act as facilitator of that if anyone does want to respond to Craig – I can see email addresses, so I can forward one to the other!

20 November 2015 at 15:34

There may be a ‘satellite delay’ as I’m tucked away on a writing retreat, but bear with!

20 November 2015 at 16:35

Happy to pass the tickets to you to pass on if there wanted.

20 November 2015 at 15:36

Would love them if that’s ok Craig? What time do you have to get there? Was it good last night?

20 November 2015 at 17:39

Tickets gone to Katie.

21 November 2015 at 12:33

I have tickets for the 5th December! My husband and I are so very excited and grateful. I have booked the friday and saturday at the travelodge so that I can queue early. Thanks to everyone who has posted and thanks Julia for the blog. I promise a full report x

21 November 2015 at 13:49

Congrats! And you’re welcome! Looking forward to hearing all about your experience!

21 November 2015 at 15:35

I have tickets for 5th December also, very excited and taking my mum. We have booked into premier inn and going to get a taxi there. I was just wondering if the staff at premier inn will book it for us or if we need to do it ourselves. Also, has anyone been this time of year before and if so is it really cold in the studio? Thanks for this blog it is really helpful

21 November 2015 at 17:08

I stayed at the premier Inn last weekend, for strictly and yes they did ring us a taxi, I would recommend that you book it early, as one lady wanted a taxi and they were all busy. Inside holding area, is cold so when you hand your coat in, make sure you have something fairly warm on, inside the studio it was absolutely fine, I had nothing on my arms and felt ok, you will have a great night!!!

22 November 2015 at 15:44

Thank you, I will book the taxi the night before

21 November 2015 at 17:57

I am going on the 5th too ! Unless it’s too cold x

21 November 2015 at 21:18

I am beside myself, we have tickets for the 28th November. I am planning lots of fun games for the early morning queue if anyone would like to join in????

21 November 2015 at 22:38

See you there in the Q

23 November 2015 at 21:42

I will be looking for fun & games as it’s my birthday & want to enjoy it all!!! Looking forward to it but apprehensive about the scrum, weather & lack of food!! Staying in the Premier Inn on Friday & Saturday – see some of you there!

22 November 2015 at 08:22

Bkackpool Strictly yesterday, a further update. Yesterday I posted about the experience until security clearance, now I have heard from my daughter about the security experience.

Before attending the BBC sent an email explaining the day and said to bring snack food that was individually wrapped and a small bottle (plastic) of water – but it had to fit in a handbag. My daughter (DD) and SIL duly followed the instructions by getting an M&S meal deal each. My SIL also had a packet of mints.

5 minutes before validation at noon Blackpool Tower security staff announced that no food or water was going to be allowed through. They said this was due to airport style security at the Tower. This was a complete lie, as they did allow my SIL to take his cigarettes and lighter through. What poses the greater security threat to the Tower, a wrapped sandwich or a lighter (or even worse, lit cigarettes left all over the Tower).

My DD demanded a BBC executive come to security and showed them the BBC. Blackpool instructions. The BBC manager on site said food was allowed in the Circus, but the security for the Tower refused admittance unless all food, including the packet of mints were binned by them, insisting this was for security.

My DD said many others were complaining, not just her, and everyone said it marred a good day.

My DD said that if people had been warned at 11.00 am they would have had time to eat their food, so was a 5 minute only warning a deliberate thing by the Tower security team? We’re they reselling the stolen food and water afterwards? We’re they taking bribes from the catering franchise inside the Circus!

Once inside the Circus a sandwich meal deal was on sale for £6, cash only accepted. My DD said many people boycotted this on principle as they felt the Tower security staff had stolen their own food, against the BBC specific instructions, but the BBC did not fight the cause of the customer.

My DD said this marred an otherwise brilliant, but long day. What did she have to eat for the day – a bacon bun and coffee from Greggs, a bit if her sandwich before security removed it from her, 2 Kit Kats and a fruit juice (provided by the BBC during the filming break).

Although the dancing experience may be brilliant, don’t go to the Blackpool Tower Strictky experience if you have special dietary needs, a diabetic could have died, or you want to be treated as a human being.

The Tower security staff lied, this was clearly not about airline security levels when lighters were allowed in but not sealed wrapped food and water. The BBC did not do enough to protect their customers, the licence payers who attended.

Dad did get the name of the overall BBC manager responsible for Strictly and is formally complaining. I will also suggest she complains to the Tower management, the Chairman of the BBC, the Chief Executive and the Leader of Blackpool Council. Major health and safety breaches have occurred, theft of personal belongings has taken place, and some sort of fraud may be taking place.

I will post more of the Strictly show experience when I catch up with my DD again. They had front row seats opposite the band, they were excellent. DD said the dancers and celebs were all very friendly and chatted to the audience.

22 November 2015 at 13:40

What a mixed bag, and thank you for taking the time to make the observations. I really feel for the people who acted in good faith and seem to have been unfairly treated by the Tower Security staff. I have to admit I was in two minds whether to edit out some of the comments – but I’ve left them in. They’re emotive, and I have to be very careful about libellous commentary, but they just about hang on opnion/experience. On matters Strictly, I’d rather ‘stay in the glitter’! Anyway, it seems more like the Tower of London in Tudor times than the sparkle of the Blackpool Tower, and the audience deserved better.

22 November 2015 at 14:21

Hi, DD feels, this morning, that the whole issue was due to poor communication between the BBC staff and the Tower security team, as well as poor and lack of timely communication with the queuing audience.

DD and SIL don’t feel there was any fraudulent intent in any way at all by any of the staff, they were merely doing as instructed but they do feel robbed by the lack of clear communication between the BBC staff on site, the communication coming out of the central BBC, and the local security team. Unfortunately, where there is poor communication it can lead to unfounded suspicion of motives. Letters of complaint will still be going to relevant people to try to influence the future audience experience at Blackpool.

It was only one part of the experience, which was overall a real insight to the world of TV in the making and a wonderful glitzy Strictly experience at the home of dance.

22 November 2015 at 17:08

It’s so emotive when you’re feeling let down on their part, isn’t it? Tnank you for the continued updates and reflections. Hope you’re enjoying Paris!

23 November 2015 at 09:44

Hi Julia, we have just arrived back in the UK (just leaving Hull now on the final leg of our journey).

I cannot believe we have been away 3 weeks, I got the text from the BBC about Blackpool the day after we arrived in France.

Thank you for asking, we did enjoy Paris. Out stopover there had been planned for months and although we nearly decided to cancel we decided to go ahead with it anyway. I suppose we felt we did not want to give in to threats, although I will admit to not sleeping very well as it can be difficult to still the mind from worry. We will go back to Paris though, we won’t give in.

I spoke to DD when we got to the ferry last night, they had arrived home by then from Blackpool and were feeling very tired. She was also still keeping the secret of who was eliminated. She said they all took an oath and she was sticking to it so as not to spoil any enjoyment, so I will be watching when I get home.

22 November 2015 at 19:12

Well said Julie. Its about time you put this point forward instead of always excusing the BBC on how they treat their LIcence Payers , It is all very well saying I’d rather ‘stay in the glitter’ but lets have the BBC treat the Licence Payer as humans and not cattle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If more people complained about the BBC’s conduct towards the Licence Payer perhaps they would take notice.

22 November 2015 at 20:18

Oh Bob. I can say that I want to ‘stay in the glitter’, because this is a party that’s grown out of a shared experience of being in the audience, and that’s what the stream of visitors is after. Not rants – there are plenty of forums and darker places on the web for that. This isn’t a forum. It’s a page on the blog that I’m more than happy to facilitate to help others have a better experience of being in the audience. And it’s Julia, not Julie.

22 November 2015 at 20:48

Hi Julia sorry for getting your name wrong. I am not ranting but just trying to highlight to the BBC how they are treating their LICENCE PAYERS. I fully appreciate you are trying to facilitate in helping others to have a better experience of being in the audience. I truly believe you are doing a wonderful job at that. However it is also very important to tell the truth about the whole experience. Important to highlight to the BBC how that experience could be made more enjoyable for the LICENCE PAYERS.

22 November 2015 at 19:04

Although it appears it was the security staff at Blackpool Tower implementing this silly rule of no food. I bet the BBC did nothing to sort it out. One again the BBC as long as it gets it show done it does not care how its Licence Payers are treated.

22 November 2015 at 20:14

Bob, you weren’t there, so you can only speculate.

22 November 2015 at 12:21

I spoke with DD and SIL this morning. An update on the food confiscation, DD complained to Hilary in the Circus who then arranged for the unopened food to be donated to a homeless charity. DD saw the waste bins being opened and the food sorted.

Other than this, apart from the live show, everything was filmed twice, including Take That, audience laughter and clapping was pre filmed, links were pre filmed. Also things were filmed out of show sequence, meaning at least 3 dress changes for the judges.

The group dances were amazing, the Blackpool dance floor bounced like a trampoline.

All the Celebs, dancers, link person, Tess, Claudia and Take That took time to talk to the audience. DD said Claudia is incredibly funny but cannot walk in her very high heeled shoes. The judges, on the other hand, were only happy on camera, otherwise were unfriendly and miserable off camera.

Their seats were near the Clauditorium and Lens Lens. They had cameras behind them so were not able to stand for the ovations, which were all orchestrated anyway.

The overall experience of seeing TV made was brilliant and not too be missed but as an audience at Blackpool they felt like cattle. The couple they met in the queue who had been to Elstree last week said the Elstree experience was much better, they felt more like an audience and less like cattle.

22 November 2015 at 13:42

That sounds a little more conciliatory – at least there was a response. Well done to your DD. There’s certainly herding in both places, but I think I’d rather Elstree on what you’ve said!

22 November 2015 at 17:01

Hoping someone may be able to help with a query.

My friend has got tickets for next weekend. Problem is she doesnt arrive into London until 230 and then needs to make her way up on the train. I imagine she wont get there til 330.

Without having her tickets validated earlier in the day, is anyone able to advise if she will be able to get in still?

Thanks so much in advance – hoping someone can advise.

22 November 2015 at 17:10

Hi Celia, unfortunately I would say that it’s highly unlikely she’ll be successful then. It’s the time the auduence are going in for real, rather than queueing to be validated. Is there a friend who would queue for her? I’d be interested in other’s views, but I’m thinking it’s unlikely…

22 November 2015 at 20:35

Hi….that was my gut reaction as well. Thanks…..will try and think of a solution.

23 November 2015 at 16:03

If it helps, and she’s prepared to take a chance, I mentioned in my comments for the 14th Nov show that the BBC did their very best to accommodate everyone who showed up. I met people who had arrived late getting ticket numbers in the 500s and as we queued to go in several people who turned up at 3.30-4pm got in as a lot of celeb friends and family didn’t turn up on that week. If its not a “special” week like Halloween or Movie night I think she stands a good chance of getting in and as she hasn’t had to queue all morning it might be worth the risk…but I accept celeb ticket availability changes from week to week but as there are less dancing in the show now probably more seats in the celeb family side are available. The late comers got better seats than us who had queued in the rain all morning, so worth a try!

23 November 2015 at 16:57

Interesting take! I guess it depends on how risk averse you are. There may be more people interested as the dancing gets better and better… wasn’t it amazing in Blackpool (complete aside)? Would you risk it? That is the big question.

23 November 2015 at 17:29

Thanks. I did wonder if this was a possibility. Would be gutted to miss it. Trying to figure out a plan at the moment. Fingers crossed.

22 November 2015 at 19:40

Hi to everyone who has tickets for the 28th November! Me and my friend are so looking forward to it. I am travelling down on Friday from Blackpool and feeling very happy now to have tickets for Elstree!! Katie – we are up for games. Anything to pass the time:-) Alicia-franks- we are also staying in the Travel Lodge for two nights so up for sharing taxis or queuing together. Whatever it takes to have the best time ever! We aim to arrive on Friday about 3:30pm.

22 November 2015 at 20:15

Now I wish I was going to that party!!!

23 November 2015 at 09:13

As I have to work the Friday we will not get there until 9ish, but we will definitely need a calming drink so hopefully see you 🙂 I am undecided on whether to get up at stupid o’clock or whether to be reasonable and get there for 6ish. I think I will see whether I can sleep, I am sooooo excited!

22 November 2015 at 21:04

Looking forward to meeting you all on the 28th!!! Vicky and Craig, I am sure there is lots of fun we can have!!! Anyone else staying at the premier inn???

22 November 2015 at 22:38

Katie . Yep the good lady wife and I are in the Premier Inn.

22 November 2015 at 22:54

Hi Julia and everyone on here ! Has anyone stayed at the holiday Inn ? and has anyone else tickets for the 5th Dec ?

23 November 2015 at 08:31

Hi, yes I’ve got tickets for 5th and staying in premier inn

23 November 2015 at 12:19

Blackpool Experience The ‘tickets’ started to get validated at about 11:20am or so and we were told that as it was extremely cold outside they wanted to get everyone in earlier. We had only arrived at about 11am so I was sceptical we would get in anyway. Validation complete we thought we will be in soon how “WRONG”! we were .To make matters worse we were told that no drink or food was allowed. We had brought food and drink and knew that the website had stated you could take in food and drink to the circus area and a bottle of water later in the ballroom as long as it was a screw top one! Thus began a mass eating and drinking binge by everyone outside including visits to Burger King next door. Many people by this time were very well annoyed to put it mildly and a lot of people complained about the situation but it fell on deaf ears. We actually got in around 1pm, yes folks so much for getting us in because it was cold. Getting in was another experience in itself. There was airport security type machine you had to walk through. I noticed all the food on the right hand side that they had confiscated including tins! The security at this point seemed a little mish mash and contradictory as a certain bombing had taken place previously by using a coke tin and detonator. My wife’s bag was searched and some chewing gum and mints were taken out, but nobody told her that they had taken them out. She only noticed later what they had done. I also heard of people arguing about tablets potentially being taken off them and also heard about lighters being allowed in. We went into the circus and behold, food was on sale at disgustingly high prices. We stayed in there about 2 to 3 hours but were entertained by a lovely Scottish girl. We got into the ballroom and how magnificent it looks. However it did look smaller than I thought it would be. We were in the balcony with a reasonable view. We were level with were the table was with the celebrities on in the opening dance routine but to the right. Then began the show which included a funny guy who was telling jokes getting information from the floor manager constantly through the night. As a previous blog quoted they played ‘Who wants to be a judge?’ .Then the dancers came out and did two takes of the opening number for the live show. Claudia was so funny and never stopped joking. Tess is quieter but still has her moments. The filming lasted about 5 hours or so. Sections were filmed for the results show first like Take That , Opening Dance twice, Craig’s Entrance on the Guitar twice and other numerous bits that when you watched the re run of the show all fell into place like a jigsaw. Then came the live show, which is completely live and exciting. In-between each dance when they show what training they have been doing during the week the floor crew were changing sets etc. which is something to be seen. I think they probably have about 2 to 3 minutes to do it in. Then there is a break with a free KitKat and Just Juice, before the filming started. This included Lens lens, Opening dance(twice) for the Sunday night and some other little sections as well as Anastacia performing a song (twice ) .Then they do a big section of chunk of the results show ie Couples in the dance off , Claudia’s interviews, the dance off, the elimination with the judges choice and Jamelias last dance . The strictly show was more than brilliant but as stated before the organisation prior to that was a shambles. As also stated in another blog it was clearly not about airline security levels when lighters and other things were allowed in but not sealed wrapped food and water. The Tower security mob acted like jobsworths throughout and we were even told by the security and the warm up guy on the dance floor we could stand up in the balcony as we were the third row back. This later changed but only when a jobsworth told us to sit down which we challenged. This was apparently for health and safety reasons. However we were 3 rows back and our seats were chairs which had been added. I would have thought that a health and safety reason would have been don’t add more weight to any area that doesn’t usually have extra weight on it but maybe I am thick . I mean come on guys the ballrooms been there for decades, the balcony isn’t going to collapse or is it!!

23 November 2015 at 13:59

Further to my previous mail I have found out that a person has a blog which tells you the results of the vote off around 10ish on saturday night. The persons blog says they have an informer who leaks the result out to them . That can only mean a member of the crew or a person regularly attending the shows . However if it is security it would be interesting to visit the blog after the Blackpool show as I would guess it would be different security in a different location / venue. So much for the strictly code being kept by the audience

23 November 2015 at 16:55

The Strictly Spoiler guy? I’ve seen it. Funny how he asks people to write to the BBC to complain (I think it’s to do with the whole charade thing). I don’t use it, but then it probably won’t surprise anyone to learn that I’m a Strictly purist, but there will always be people who go about things their way. Each to their own.

23 November 2015 at 15:33

Hi, my daughter and I are going to the Christmas Special- we’re very excited and have our sparkly gear at the ready! We’re travelling down the night before from Harrogate and I was a bit nervous about what to expect, but finding your blog has been a life saver- thank you! ps anyone else going??!

Another happy reader! 🙂

29 November 2015 at 19:36

Hi, I’ve also got tickets for the Christmas special and really looking forward to it. I’m thinking of staying up the night before at the IBIS to get in the queue early – my daughter can’t make it that early as she has a dance exam in the morning. So I’m aiming to validate for us both. Other worry is that then I have to got to work – something I can’t get out of that finishes at 3pm – giving me an hour to get from Victoria to Elstree, picking up my daughter at St Pancras en route. Starting to stress a bit about the logistics – but this blog is a really wonderful source of information.

23 November 2015 at 17:52

It has been such a great help reading your blog. I also have tickets for the Christmas special and soo excited. A couple of things I understand tickets are validated from 9am but best to get there early? How early? Where is best to park? I have phoned to check if I can just get tickets validated as my sister can’t make it till later….they said on the phone that it will be fine just for me to do it as its my name on the tickets. Is it worth getting a hotel room for the day as it will be a pretty long one! Many thanks I am very excited!!!

23 November 2015 at 21:53

Blackpool!!! Amazing show but I have to agree with the others the food saga was so disappointing. And im not convinced it was done for security purposes either, it just didn’t make any sense! A warning to others that apply and get invited to Blackpool next year. Its great but its a LONG day, too long really… Hours of queuing in the cold (and we were lucky as it didn’t rain). I joined the queue with my friend at 930, supposed to go in at 12 but didn’t get in till 1230ish. Then hours of waiting inside the circus with poor overpriced food options (popcorn, haribo, crisps etc), gutted as I had to hand in my banana, apple and houmous wrap for “security reasons” and had no healthy options to purchase. By the time we got to the tower ballroom, round 4 430 we were already tired! The shows didn’t finish till 11, my back ached I was so hungry and I just wanted to go to bed. And im young and fit! It would have been so much kinder if they could have let us go home/hotel wherever to get changed and fed in between validating tickets at 12 and entering the ballroom round 430. Like they do with all the other shows. It really would have made a HUGE difference!! Anyway I really hope for other peoples benefits they change this ridiculous process it not fair, they ask enough of us inside when we have to clap and cheer on demand, they should treat us a little better! On the plus side the show was great, the ballroom was amazing, got lots of smiles and waves and hellos from various celebrities, Take That and Anastacia were great! Im sorry this isn’t very well written Im in an awful rush but I got so much information from this blog its only fair I offer some too! I queed at 930 by the way and got numbers 249 and 250. the queue was ok actually everyone in good spirits and as you only need one person to validate you can take it in turns to go off to the toilet grab coffees etc. Just the 4 hour wait inside before going to the ballroom was the killer sort it out BBC please!!! Funnily enough towards the end of the recordings we were told we were getting tired and not clapping and cheering enough! There is a simple solution to this – we wouldn’t have been so tired and drained if you hadn’t taken our food and made us wait so long inside!!!

23 November 2015 at 22:03

Thanks so much for rushing your comments! Loved hearing them! It adds to the richness of the information. Quite a thick stew by now!

23 November 2015 at 22:33

Thanks for the great blog :)- have just found out have tickets for the 12th dec!!!! SO excited but felt a bit deflated when found out about it only being a golden ticket to queue- they don’t tell you that when you enter the ballot! Anyway, was wondering if those going to coming saturday shows can let me know if 2 people need to be there for validation….I know people have said not now, but the my e-ticket clearly says all attending need to be present for validation- conflicting information it seems?! Thanks in advance!

24 November 2015 at 09:02

I remember that feeling too, but it was the best fun in the queue, as others are testifying. It seems that only one person is needed to validate. You could always call up the BBC if you wanted to hear it for yourself. Somewhere down the thread (or did I update in the main blog) is a phone number. You’ll have an amazing time!

24 November 2015 at 09:23

You should have received a secondary email with more information where it clearly states that ome person can validate more that one ticket.

24 November 2015 at 09:13

Hi Pru, dont worry you will get a second email from the BBC clarifying that only one needs to queue 🙂

24 November 2015 at 12:23

Thank you all- have just received second email confirming only one person needs to be there for validation- phew! My sister and I are coming from afar and different places so was unlikely we could both be there before 9am….

24 November 2015 at 13:23

Haha, anyone would think we know what we’re talking about!

23 November 2015 at 22:39

OMG! Semi-final tickets. How early will we need to show up for that!

24 November 2015 at 09:18

I know!!! Not good in the mornings at the best of times!! Am trying to be relatively sanguine about the whole thing and trying not to get too stressed and caught up with competition to be near the front of the queue…..will see nearer the time! Don’t want to waste this opportunity though as have been applying for tickets since the show started!

24 November 2015 at 18:23

Has anybody on this blog or know of people being refused at validation stage? I have tickets for 12th December but can’t get to elstree until 11am / 11.30am on that day. And was wondering was this too late , I rang a number I picked up on this blog to bbc tickets and shows and the representative I spoke with whilst he couldn’t guarantee we’d get in he didn’t think it would be a problem he was of the opinion that all with tickets get in ???? Just wondering any body any thoughts or comments ,

29 November 2015 at 21:52

Last night there were people in the audience who had their tickets validated at 1pm. Obviously there are no guarantees, but the production crew do their best to ensure everyone gets in!

25 November 2015 at 13:30

Hi This is probably a silly question but I’ve been looking on google maps to see where Maxwell Road and the studios are and I just want to know do you go down Maxwell Road from Elstree Way towards the Community Centre to join the queue? The reason I ask is because it seems to be in the opposite direction to the studio and a fair walk. I just want to make sure I know where I am going as it will dark and my sense of direction is terrible. Thanks

28 November 2015 at 05:36

Well the day is here. Been in the queue since 3.50. We’re number 8 & 9. Weather is quite good considering it’s nearly December. Its now 5.30 and there is a steady stream of folk arriving. More to follow as it happens.

28 November 2015 at 11:21

Hi Craig, we arrived at 5.30 and what a lovely bunch of fools we all are!!! Thank you to the lovely people in the Q who played games with us!!! It made the time go a lot quicker!!! Now back at our hotel defrosting and getting more excited for later!! X

28 November 2015 at 13:29

Well time went really quick with a trip to Tesco for coffee. Validation at 9.15. We got numbers 11 & 12. Back at 3.30.

28 November 2015 at 13:39

We’re going on Monday 7th for Christmas Special, staying at the Ibis, do you think going to queue at 6am will be early enough???! With my 14 year old daughter so we MUST get in!!!

28 November 2015 at 12:05

Craig you must have been the people under the quilts on the chair then ? We joined the queue just after 7am and got number s 217 & 218. So should be on the balcony.

28 November 2015 at 13:43

Hi Caroline. We were not under the quilts but we were just about next to them. First lady in the queue arrived at 2.30. We were there at 3.50 with numbers 11&12. Another pair there at 6 with numbers 91&92 and yourselves at 7 with 217&218.

28 November 2015 at 13:45

Hi Katie. Yep, the queue was actually quite fun. I expect if it had been raining it would have been different story. Just have the scrum in the holding area to deal with now.

28 November 2015 at 13:49

Sending power to your elbows. May they be wide and sharp…..

28 November 2015 at 13:54

Thanks Julia. And thanks for this Blog. It has made the experience so far all very slick as we were well prepared.

28 November 2015 at 13:58

It really does cheer me to hear that – I never imagined it would be the case. Enjoy every second, there look to be some incredible dances tonight. Very lucky! Blow Aljaz a kiss from me (well, you might want to delegate that!).

28 November 2015 at 14:04

He’s not my cup of tea. I’m sure Sally will glady give him a kiss for you. (And for herself)

28 November 2015 at 14:14

Elbows at the ready!!! Getting very excited while we wait for our meal!! Julia, brilliant job on the blog it has been a real eye opener to the whole experience!! Thank you!!

28 November 2015 at 14:20

You’re most welcome. I’m sitting in Cornwall, the wind is howling, the rain is lashing it down, and I’m hoping it stays this end of the country until you’re all safely tucked up in bed, still smiling about your glittery day… ✨✨

28 November 2015 at 14:30

My daughter, who had my Blackpool Strictly tickets, said Aljaz and Gleb were even more handsome in person than on the TV.

29 November 2015 at 22:31

Here’s my review of last night’s Strictly experience: We stayed at the Ibis on the Friday night, purely just for the proximity. They validated our parking ticket for 3 days and I would recommend the hotel for both of those reasons – proximity and parking. I arrived at the queue a bit before 4:30am and ended up with ticket numbers 15 and 16. The lady who arrived first got there at 2:30am. The queue was surprisingly, given the cold weather, quite good fun: everyone was in good spirits and, as many other have said, the hours just flew by! A lady from the BBC came past at about 7ish and wandered up the queue giving us all a bit of information. It seems that the ladies who validate the tickets start their shift at 9am and by the time they’ve readied themselves and arrived at the front of the queue, ticket validation starts from about 9:15am. We were told to come back at 3:30pm and there was quite a long queue to get into the marquee / holding area. Everyone would have been well aware of the process (coat check, bag check, no mobile phones etc.) and you’d think would have prepared accordingly or at least been ready to hand over everything necessary, but the queue moved quite slowly. We probably could have arrived at 4:30pm and walked straight in, but didn’t want to miss our number being called into the studio, having waited 4.5 hours for our tickets earlier that morning! The first ~25 were called into the studio first in strict number order. We were all seated on two rows of seats on the edge of the dance floor, opposite the stage. As others have said, you can’t stand up for the ovations in those seats as there is a large moving camera that swings around above our heads! I didn’t find this an issue at all and enjoyed being so close to the dancing. You don’t appreciate just how good the professionals are when watching on TV. My highlight of the night was Natalie and Gleb’s dance to Il Divo on the results show – unbelievable! But when I watched it back earlier tonight, it just wasn’t the same. (Sometimes I’ve thought when watching the show previously that some celebrities are dancing almost like professionals, but when you see them live there is a gulf between them – as there obviously should be!) The first ~5 rows of seating on both sides are taken up by guests of the BBC. The next members of the public seated (after the ~25 in the two rows of seating I just described) were behind those seats and then the balcony was filled. The dancers and judges were all happy to acknowledge us and Darcy even came and sat with us for about 5 minutes for a chat!! Before last night I thought this would be a one off, but I enjoyed it so much I’ll be applying again next year! Happy to answer any questions..

30 November 2015 at 07:46

Lovely! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Particularly the observation about the ‘gulf’ between the pros/celebs. The pros do such a great job on making their pair look the best they can be, but… I think Gleb has been a real catch for the BBC this year.

It was a great show from the ringside seats of my fire!

30 November 2015 at 16:11

Could anyone provide some feedback on the parking situation? I don’t live too far away so was planning on driving on Saturday 5th Dec to get there around 6am, is the IBIS car park available for public parking? Has anyone parked in any of the public car parks in the area at that time (which all open at 8am)? Appreciate any information!

30 November 2015 at 17:12

Hi. The IBIS car park is not for public use. The Civic Center Public Carpark is directly behind the IBIS hotel. Take the road to the left of the IBIS hotel. You cannot miss the Carpark. It is very big and has plenty of space. It is open 24 hours so you can come and go as you wish. It is free between 6pm and 8am Mon to Sat. It has a variable cost per hour between 8am and 6pm but you will need over 5 hours. If you put £5 into the machine at 6am when you arrive that will allow you to park all day and you can come and go as you wish during the day. All very simple. This is also the closest car park to the studio. Hope that answers your question.

30 November 2015 at 20:31

Hi All, Can’t believe I have tickets for the semi finals (12th Dec), but so apprehensive about actually getting in! We are travelling over 200 miles from Yorkshire and was planning on being there from 7am but having read this and it being the semis that we should get there earlier. In your opinions if we are there for 6am, bearing in mind its the semis, would we be ok? Big coats, umbrellas and coffee ready for the queue along with a couple of chairs, fingers crossed for good seats, soooo excited!!

3 December 2015 at 12:56

Hi Joanne, I’m so sorry. I haven’t had any notifications for days! But, congrats on the tickets. I would say you’d get in for 6am. Will absolutely have everything crossed for you. May the M1 or the M6 or M40 deliver (depending on which one you take!). Julia x

1 December 2015 at 10:15

I was also at the 28th November show and just wanted to add to Craig, Andrew and Caroline’s comments. We joined the queue at 8.10ish, and were eventually ticket numbers 299 and 300. That put us on the balcony, in the front row opposite the judges (just slightly to their right as they would look at it) – so even though we joined the queue an hour later than Caroline we still got really great balcony seats. I packed my husband off to sort out some car stuff whilst I queued in the morning and had no problems getting both tickets validated.

In between queuing sessions, we went off to the RAF Museum in Hendon, which is a great option if you’ve driven down. c.20mins drive from the Civic Centre car park, and with so much to see (even if you’re not a plane geek – I’m not, my husband is) that you’ll easily fill the time between morning ticket queue and evening marquee queue.

We had a slightly later call back time, being further back in the queue, of 3.45pm, but really I would suggest that anyone 250+ not get back until 4 (unless you’ve got an early call for a pre-recorded special guest) as you’ll easily have time to get in and not miss your number. Waiting around is tedious, as any waiting process can be, but we were really lucky that they were showing the Davies Cup final doubles match on TV screens, and there was a lovely moment when the Murray brothers won when the whole marquee cheered – very spirit of 2012!

Other than everything that’s mentioned above, top tips: 1. Wrap up warm for the morning queue. Layers layers layers. 2. When you go back in the night, if you can avoid taking a coat (I wore a big scarf that I could wrap round me and some gloves, all of which was easily popped in bag for studio) or a phone, you’ll get through the security section much faster. 3. Stay hydrated in the day, and particularly in the last few hours: you’ll be encouraged to do a lot of whooping and cheering and you’ll need your voice in top form. Also the studio is toasty warm. 4. Have fun!

1 December 2015 at 13:06

I’m so excited, I have tickets for the 12th December – semi finals, how early do you reckon we should get there for good seating? we want to be either behind the judges or opposite!! can’t believe we finally got tickets, I’ve been applying for 4 years! 🙂

2 December 2015 at 07:10

Hi. My husband and I will be at this Saturday’s show (5th Dec). Really looking forward to it but not queuing in the rain ! Please can someone let me know what size bag I can take in and am I able to just put it under my seat? I’d like to take some water. Will that be ok? Also is it possible to go to the loo at some point when in the Studio? Thanks.

2 December 2015 at 20:17

I’ve just heard that I’ve got tickets for the Grand Final!! Eeek!! Really excited, but would be grateful for any tips on arrival times etc as trying to organise journeys/hotels. Will we need to be there in the early hours to get tickets validated? Has anyone got any information on transferring ticket names in case I can’t make it? It’s so close to Xmas, but I am determined to go as it’s highly unlikely we’ll get such a fantastic opportunity again. Fingers crossed… Thanks muchly!

3 December 2015 at 12:59

Hi Sandy, I thought all your questions would be answered in the Blog page itself? There’s something on ticket names, you need to call the BBC. You should go if you can. The odds of you being successful again are so, so slim!

3 December 2015 at 21:33

Ive found out ive got tickets for Grand Final week – very excited! Can i mention that this blog has been really, really helpful to my planning the weekend so thanks very much, everyone! Very excited now! Quick question i do have though: im wondering what kind of outfit to wear. I know the tickets say glamorous but i would hate to be too overdressed, or worse….not dressed up enough – it is the final after all! I dont usually ‘glam’ up so would like to see what others’ opinions are on the dress code. I know some say it can feel cold in the actual studio, and it will be mid december when i go. Any ladies, that can offer any outfit advice, would be most welcomed. Thanks all!

3 December 2015 at 21:41

Oh Gina, you must sparkle! ✨✨✨

4 December 2015 at 23:17

Thankyou – i best get dress shopping

3 December 2015 at 22:46

Gina. I concur with Julia. On our visit the dress styles ranged from the most dazzling sparkles to, wait for it, jeans trainers and hoodie. I kid you not. BUT for the most part. Glam is the order of the day. Most of all though, be comfortable. No point in being over the top if your not comfy. You can’t really go wrong. Enjoy.

4 December 2015 at 23:19

Thanks for the info – appreciate your response, its all very helpful 🙂

5 December 2015 at 10:20

Just want to say arrived in queue at 4.15 this morning. First people there at 3. The time went really quickly and it was fun, people in queue really nice. Got tickets 17 & 18

5 December 2015 at 14:27

Hi, can anyone help me with a question about the time the doors open? My daughter and I have tickets for the Xmas special – filming on Monday 7th. Validating tickets is no problem, as I’m staying at the IBIS on Sunday night, but then I have to go to work – and my daughter has a dance exam. We should be fine to get to the studio for 16.15 when the doors open, but won’t be there earlier – does anyone know if that’s going to cause problems for us?

6 December 2015 at 00:05

Di You will be fine at 4.15. Holding area will be full but you will get in no problem.

6 December 2015 at 09:26

Today’s the day! Driving down for the Strictly Xmas Special- staying at the Ibis- both very excited! Hope to see some of you there!

6 December 2015 at 13:57

I will give a proper report tomorrow, but all i can say is that we had such an amazing time. Simply wow. X

6 December 2015 at 18:10

I did too ! I went yesterday , long day but amazing time !

6 December 2015 at 18:33

I was at last night’s show and had such an amazing time. I went with my mum and we stayed at the premier inn which is about a 15 min walk away. We intended on joining the queue at 5.30 but we woke up at 3.45 cos couldn’t sleep as too exited so we decided we might as well go earlier. We got to Maxwell road about 4.15. It is really easy to find just go right to the end of the road and the queue starts opposite the community centre. The time really flew by, we met some lovely people including Alicia and Matt. We were no 17 & 18. What I would say if you are going to semis or final is wear plenty of layers, as many as you can. It was colder when sat down so we stood up quite a lot to keep warm. We went to Ibis hotel a couple of times to use loo which they are fine with and it is closer than tesco. The validation was really quick and we did not have to show any ID. We were told to come back at 3.15. We got a taxi back which cost £4. You then have to queue again to get into holding area where they let so many people in at a time. Do not worry about where you are in this queue as they call people into the studio in number order and you are in the holding area for quite a while. You have to hand in your coat and phone but if you are staying in hotel I would advise leaving phone behind. Most people had coats as it was cold but although the queue at the end to collect it was long it did move quite quickly. The first 26 are called in first. A lady did barge her way past me going through and I did remark how rude she was quite loudly. It was pointless her doing that though because they ask you to line up in number order and you are then shown to your seats. These seats are right opposite the band and close to the dance floor so you get a really close up view of the dancers. The production crew are behind. You will not be seen on TV in these seats and you cannot stand up for standing ovations because of the cameras but this really was not a problem. The crew were amazing and did not stop, the speed in which they change the sets in between each dance was fantastic. The compare was absolutely hilarious and really made the whole experience even more enjoyable. The studio is smaller than it looks on TV and so were the pro dancers, they were so tiny. Claudia was so funny and Tess was lovely too and really stunning. I won’t give any details about the show as don’t want to spoil it for others but it was a truly fabulous day and would love to go again

7 December 2015 at 07:56

SOUnds fab! We are off next weekend 🙂 and can’t wait!!! Quick question though- did you mean wear lots of layers for queuing or for when you were actually in the studios? Don’t want to be cold when in there!!

7 December 2015 at 10:34

Hi, we queued this morning for the Xmas Special later today. We were there at 4.45, it was dry, not too cold , but after a few hours we really started to feel chilly! Wear layers, take chairs, cushions, covers & hot water bottle- I kid you not!! Enjoy!

7 December 2015 at 10:36

Back at ya! Enjoy the show, looks like a great line up!

7 December 2015 at 14:25

Wear layers for the queuing it was quite warm in the studio

6 December 2015 at 22:16

My friend has gotten tickets for the GRAND FINAL and is giving them to little oul me!!! Problem is we live in Ireland!! I have read this whole blog and had a look at both the IBIS and the premier Inn and both are sold out for the Friday and Saturday nights. 🙁 Does anyone have any other recommendations on other hotels near by. I suspect with the fact that it is the final, I would have to Q at ridiculous o clock!! I would be by myself as no-one can get time off work so close to Christmas. Do I need to get her to change the tickets into my name, does anyone know an international number to do this?

6 December 2015 at 23:00

Holiday Inn

6 December 2015 at 23:13

Hi, I’m sure there is also a travel lodge about 25 min walk away too, also don’t worry about using someone else’s ticket as there has still not been any ID checks so far, the couple behind me had someone else’s tickets and they got in, no problem, what a shame everyone is busy, tell all your friends you know, hopefully someone can come with you. Either way you will meet lots of people to chat too, and you will have an amazing time!!!

7 December 2015 at 00:43

The Holiday Inn, elstree. Still has rooms but not cheap. Tis what it is I guess.

No one checked our ID for tickets so No need to bother.

7 December 2015 at 10:01

I highly recommend the travel lodge, cheaper, clean tidy and only 10-15 minutes walk or a cab company called AAA is only £3.50 a trip on 0208 953 53 53. We booked one for the journey there and back in the evening as I was in 4 inch heels lol.

29 November 2016 at 22:01

Hi Nicola, is there any chance you could share your experience. I’ve tickets for this year final, also travelling from Ireland. We have managed to book the Ibis. what ridiculous o’clock did you start queuing from? So excited!!!!

1 December 2016 at 09:42

Hi Liz Well done as well. I would be very interested to hear from Nicola also? What are your thoughts. We cant go up Friday and will have to get up V early to come from Devon. Currently thinking to leave at 5.00 to hopefully get there for 8.00am but presuming that will get us in but not great seats. I suppose as you are at the Ibis you can get in a bit earlier?

8 December 2015 at 21:57

My daughter & I went to the Xmas Special and had the time of our lives! Started queuing at 4.45 & got tickets 33 & 34, just behind the judges! ‘Hi’ to Rochelle & Kate and their Mums- you made all the queuing, waiting & hanging around such fun, we laughed from beginning to end- thank you! This blog has been a fantastic help, made the whole experience less stressful & more enjoyable- feel quite sad now it’s all over- will have to apply again next year… here’s keeping my fingers crossed…!

10 December 2015 at 21:23

Hi, we’ve tickets for Saturday (very excited!!). I am sure I read it further up the page but now can’t find the post but I was just wondering what happens later on in the afternoon once you return having had your tickets validated? I have read its super busy in the holding area .. Does it get so busy that you loose your place in the order you queued up in during the ticket validation process?? Thanks for this blog post – it has been so helpful xx

11 December 2015 at 08:00

Hi Anna, when you get into the holding pen before going to the studio, everyone mills about. You are called into the studio in blocks of tickets, so be on your pins for your allocation. Sharp elbows seem to be needed sometimes (it was quite civilised when I went all that time ago). Anyway, you’ll have a blast! And I’m very glad there’s another happy reader of the blog. It’s quite overwhelming the level of traffic this post has generated.

11 December 2015 at 12:08

Hi! We went last Monday for the Xmas Special- queued from 4.45am and once our tickets were validated at about 9.15, we went away, had breakfast & retired to our room to catch up on some sleep! We then went back at about 3.15 as they said to get there between then and 4.15… I would not advise you to do that!! When your tickets are validated you get a number and that is the order you eventually go into the studio with, so arriving early is pointless, especially if it’s cold, wet or snowy! The queue takes you into the Marquee, through security, where there’s a Bar & supposedly snacks- although I’d strongly advise you to take something in as it was a very long wait with very few chairs!! Eventually you go through to the Studio and the Magic begins- all queuing, waiting & standing around forgotten! Have fun!

11 December 2015 at 15:08

I am about to travel up to stay with family who live near ish the studio before getting up at 5am for tomorrow’s show. Not sure I’ve been quite so excited since my wedding day… So looking forward to it, queueing and all!! And Julia, I’m also so grateful for this blog, I’m hoping we will be prepared for all eventualities because of it!

11 December 2015 at 20:04

Jess, I can surely believe your excitement! Love it. I’m very happy that the blog has helped you, along with many others. It really warms my heart. Have the best of times, and if you feel like it, tell us how it was. I get such a thrill from living it again and again. x

12 December 2015 at 22:56

We went on 5th Dec show. Stayed at Holiday Inn. £4 taxi to queue at 6.45. No coffee or croissants from Ibis ! Validated at 9 with seats 156/157. Back to hotel for quick sleep . Arrived back in queue again at 4 . Let in at 4.40. They let 50 in at a time and didn’t check numbers so I was with 150-200 tickets . We got back under balcony but was fine as we could stand up when dancing on . Changed over to front row for Sunday’s show ! Shook hands with Aljaz , got autograph from Anton , such a fabulous night worth all the hassle and I would go again if lucky enough ! Amazing to find this blog ! So helpful , I was humming theme tune all week after ! Keep dancing !

13 December 2015 at 17:24

Di, I’m so happy for you. The buzz lasts a goodly while! Keeeeeep dancing, indeed!

13 December 2015 at 17:50

We went last night – it was fabulous. We had seats 26 & 27 amongst the production crew. We loved the hustle and bustle there, great view and loved the pro dancers coming backwards and forwards for their group dance. Loved it all and thanks to Julia or this great blog as it definitely helped us prepare for our strictly day.

14 December 2015 at 10:10

Hi Anna, I’m very happy to be of service… Glad you loved it. What a show to see! I was shocked by the result, but when I thought about it, it made more sense! Anita and Gleb did a great show dance, but not such an impressive salsa.

14 December 2015 at 20:28

I was sad to see Anita and Gleb go. I am not a fan of Katie’s but sadly her dance was cleaner in the dance off (not that I am an expert). I am still in my strictly bubble here.

14 December 2015 at 09:34

Hi Julia, Just a note to say thanks for the really useful blog. My wife got tickets for the 12 Dec show, which she was very excited about. Her birthday was on 11 Dec and after cancelling the weekend in London I had booked for that, I booked rooms at the IBIS on Friday and Saturday night. I volunteered to queue and after waking up at 2.30, thought that I might as well go over the road and start. I got to the queue at 2.45, the first people had started queueing at 12.30, this was the earliest of the series. We eventually got numbers 8 & 9 and ended up on the front row opposite the band, right beside the stairs. My wife really loved the night, Len, Darcy and Anton all said hello as they went past and it was great to see how everything worked behind the scenes. Thanks again for the blog.

14 December 2015 at 10:11

Hi Mark, thank you for taking the trouble to comment. I’m really happy that you were able to prepare better! What a birthday treat for her! You will struggle to beat that in years to come…. 🙂

30 August 2016 at 15:12

I have tickets to the Launch show tomorrow, does anyone know if I should treat it as the same as the shows and arrive very early etc? I would be grateful for any advice.

30 August 2016 at 15:35

Congratulations! I’m honestly not sure – but I can’t imagine it would be much different. Let’s hope one of the Strictly Buddies comes back with something more helpful.

30 August 2016 at 16:37

Thanks Julia, yes hopefully another buddy will have an idea if not I think I will go on the great advice already given and arrive early. I’ll report back after on our day.

1 September 2016 at 17:35

I hope that you made it to the Strictly floor! Please, no spoilers, but would love to know how you got on…

1 September 2016 at 18:59

Hi Julia Launch Show- wow what an amazing day we had, it was extremely long but worth the aching feet and numb bottoms. After reading all the previous advice , my daughter and I decided to leave at 5am, we had over an hours journey coming from Hampshire and arrived at 6:15. We parked in the Civic Car Park next to the IBIS as suggested by others and I paid by phone our £5 for all day. I know it’s free up until 8:30 but the cost is £5 for over 5 hours so it really made no difference. On route from the car park we quickly spotted some signs saying ‘Strictly Audience this way’ this lead us to Maxwell road and more bigger signs on some gates. There were about 10/20 people waiting there, some of these had been there for over 2 hours already. I was Then advised they weren’t sure if they were in the right place as round by the main gate was another “bigger” queue. Some people had friends in the other queue and they were relaying this via phones. The ticket did say main gate but there were all these signs and also one gentleman had been told the night before by security that Maxwell Road would be the right place to queue. After much conversation, it was felt that perhaps we should all join the other queue. I felt really sad for those who had been there so long and now they had lots their places.

When we joined the main gate queue there were about 60 people in front this was around 6:45am. As before lots of friendly banter in the queue and time went quickly.

Validation did start promptly at 9 and we were given numbers 93 & 94. I did have a slight issue with no ID for my 14 year old . The ticket does say you may be asked so I should have bought it but very quickly resolved with a picture of passport on the phone and the validators were very helpful.

Was advised to return at 3:30pm. Big queue already and we arrived on the dot. Moved very quickly into the “holding area” where you pass on any mobile phones and toilet break, not many seats and so hot in the room. We chose to leave ours hidden in the car as didn’t want the hassle later. We were in the holding room for quite a while and was then called out in batches of numbers but this wasn’t done very well and I don’t think people at one end of the room could here. It’s a bit of a walk from that room to the studio so high heels are a killer by then!

On our way round they stopped the queue just outside and we happened to be stopped righ outside the area where some of the Pros were mingling and they came out to sign tickets and gave lots of hugs. Anton, Giovanni, Kevin. They were really excellent, chatting and just lovely. Anton was brilliant! We saw one of the singers who performed on the night too!

When we were led in no one checked numbers and so it wasn’t really in number order as said earlier so watch out for that, were were given amazing seats, next to the judges and a little back, we had fantastic views. Sooooo lucky.

The filming didn’t start until 6:20 and I’m not going to give the details here but as it wasn’t a live show, they do retakes! So lots of clapping and cheering repeated a lot. We were given some juice and a Kit Kat, much needed because it’s a long night! The Pros were great, during little breaks they chat to you, so do Tess & Claudia and the judges, Craig is very quiet though! It was all amazing and finished later than scheduled at 11:20, quick walk back to our car and we were home by 1am.

As I said, a very long but amazing day, we loved it all.

Enjoy watching on Saturday night everyone.

2 September 2016 at 12:29

Wow, what a wonderful account. Thank you so much – sorry about the address mix up, but it doesn’t sound like it took the sparkle out of the day! I cannot wait for Saturday night now… Here’s to another fab-u-lous season of Strictly! You’ve got the party started!

10 September 2016 at 06:45

Hiya, I received this text message last night ” Congratulations. Your application for tickets to Strictly on 23/09/2016 has been successful. Please check your e-mail for your tickets ” but I have not received any email… I have been checking including spam… I did apply this year and hopefully it’s not a hoax… The text message was from the bbc… Is there a number I can call?

10 September 2016 at 12:34

Hi Lily, congratulations! I’ve checked my text and email (sad enough to still have them!), they came on the same day for me. The only number I can see is 0370 901 1227. Hopefully it will have already reached you, though? My email came from BBC Free Show Tickets, but that may also be different. It was two years ago! Where does time go?

11 September 2016 at 17:16

Hi Lily, Congratulations! and i so hope you’ve found your email. I had the same text in the middle of the night and the email was in my inbox when i checked the next day, so I think yours should also be there. you definitely need to chase that up. One email with a PDF attached of the 2 tickets. We’ve applied to all Strictly shows for years and i still can’t quite believe that we’ve got tickets. Thank you for all the above tips; I feel quite prepared: get there early, take ID, take chair, blankets, picnic….! Oh, and sparkles! I really hope to see you there on 23rd Lily. You can’t get this close and then fall 🙁

11 September 2016 at 20:25

Julia, Helen,

Thanks, for the info. I have been checking my inbox and spam box constantly, but nothing so far. I did phoned them up yesterday Sat, and they couldn’t find anything on the ticket allocation, so its strange that i got a text message. The woman did say that they will look into it further on Monday…. i would be very gutted 🙁 Lets see whaat Monday brings…

11 September 2016 at 20:36

… Lots of sparkly news, let’s hope! Fingers crossed they can track down the gremlin. How utterly tense-making. Sounds like Auntie Beeb is being great though.

13 September 2016 at 14:45

so I got the rejected email yesterday to say that my application was unsuccessful, so I can only think that someone else has accidentally put my telephone number on there application… what are the odds of that happening!! I will just have to hope that I will have luck further on down the line… **big sigh**

16 September 2016 at 20:15

Super sad face… You will be richly rewarded. It’s still glorious to watch from home; don’t lose sight of that.

16 September 2016 at 20:05

I’ve got tickets for 1st Oct!!!! 🙂 I’m wanting to take my mum, but she dosent have any photo ID. Would they accept something like a bank statement or a letter from DWP/Council tax bill?

16 September 2016 at 20:14

Oh Lisa, I believe the photo checks are for the risk of U14 (is it 14)? None of the stories we’ve had have anyone been photo ID’d. Relax and focus on enjoying it. Any other comments?

16 September 2016 at 20:38

No I’D checked last year. Your both go and enjoy it.

20 September 2016 at 08:59

Wiltshire Helen I have tickets for the 23rd too 🙂

May see you there 🙂

Can I ask what time are you intending to queue? I am think 6am do you think that will be ok??

Ooooooo I am soooo excited coming up from Cornwall so its a bit of a way for me…. If i don’t get my tickets validated I will be soooo disappointed

20 September 2016 at 19:41

6am will be fine. You will probably be halfway down the queue but that will be ok.

20 September 2016 at 20:08

The people around you will make part of the experience… And you’ll get in. Im full of envy!

21 September 2016 at 14:46

Do people take folding chairs to use while waiting for ages in the queue to validate? We’ve got tickets for 8th October!!

21 September 2016 at 15:24

Oh yes! Used and then packed up in the car/hotel. The second queueing is shorter, so you won’t need it then. I’d love to see someone with table, candleabra etc, etc. Congrats on getting tickets Dawn!

22 September 2016 at 07:02

Yes! We went last year, take chairs & wrap up warm- wished I’d taken a blanket/throw as chilly! Great fun- fingers crossed we’re lucky again this year…! Have a wonderful time!

22 September 2016 at 14:09

Hi Thank you so much for all the info Julia and everyone else who has commented. We have tickets for 1st October. So excited! Only thing that concerns me is I’ll be 26 weeks pregnant! My friend and I are staying at the Ibis both Friday and Saturday night as coming down from Lincolnshire. We plan on taking camping chairs and flasks to the early morning queue. Just have a quick question… Am I right in thinking the beginning of the queue forms alongside the building? Feeling lucky that the weather is still mild and that as I’m pregnant I have my own personal hot water bottle with me!

22 September 2016 at 18:19

I don’t know about the edge of the building.. Two years ago (where does time go), we were queueing in the park! I’m sure someone will correct you. What is the road name?

22 September 2016 at 18:37

Your almost correct about the queue. It forms by the metal gates while lead directly into the studio. I’m sure I have a photograph of the queue from last year if you want it. I can send it to Julia who will pass it on to you I’m sure.

22 September 2016 at 20:54

I’ll do my best Craig, for sure…

22 September 2016 at 21:37

It’s Maxwell Rd Julia. That would be great thank you Craig.

23 September 2016 at 19:09

I’m also going on the 1st and staying at the ibis hotel on the Friday and Saturday! I can’t wait! You’ve just reminded me about camping chairs! Thanks!

22 September 2016 at 15:02

I have tickets for this Saturday:) Thankyou so much for all the info! I have booked the Premier Inn for Friday so hope to get to the queue before 6am. Must remember the chairs…

22 September 2016 at 18:20

Fab! Have a great time… You’ll be up bright and early! Hope the weather is decent for you. Enjoy every sparkly moment!

25 September 2016 at 09:39

I commented on here last year after getting tickets for Halloween show! We loved it!

Applied again this year. Fingers crossed

Question is how far in advance did you get notification you were successful for tickets?! I can’t remember!

25 September 2016 at 11:28

I can’t remember either! I think about 3-4 weeks? Could well be making it up!

25 September 2016 at 11:37

We have three weeks notice for this year’s show on 8th October …. It’s like waiting for Christmas!!

26 September 2016 at 22:17

Hey! I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the fab info on the blog and all the comments. We went to the show on Sat (24th) and we had an amazing experience! The day ran like clockwork and exactly like you all described. We arrived around 6.30am and got ticket numbers 163/164. We were ridiculously lucky and got front row seats, seeing the dancing that close up was incredible! I feel like we’re part of a very privileged group of strictly audience members!! If anyone has any questions about the day feel free to ask 🙂

27 September 2016 at 14:21

Lucky you! And to see what must be one of the highest standard opening shows in its history…

27 September 2016 at 18:28

Yes the standard was incredible, it’s hard to see how they can progress from here.

28 September 2016 at 08:33

Well, they only have a week for this dance, so perhaps this will expose a few gaps! I can’t see where the judges will go when they wave the 8/9 paddles! Even Craig! I nearly choked on my wine!

27 September 2016 at 16:56

I am going this Saturday (1st October 2016) and am umm-ing and ahh-ing about what time to start queuing. How big was the queue when you got there at 6:30am? I’m desperate to get front row seats and was considering queuing at 2:30am to get them…am I being really silly?

28 September 2016 at 08:31

Certifiable! If you want front row, then you really need to be at the head of the queue, as these seem to get the seats opposite the band – the rest is a bit luck as to where they fill. Any other thoughts?

28 September 2016 at 08:49

I was lucky enough to go last friday 23rd September. I want to thank the people on this forum as it was so helpful..

To be honest the way they do the seat allocation is a little bit rubbish. The first 30 in the queue get the seats opposite the band. We were talking to a couple that had these seats. They said it as fab as the dancers etc are right next to them waiting to go on and speak to them. However they said the cameras get in the way a bit.

Please remember only one person has to queue so you may think that you are certain number in the queue but there may not be both people there….

We queue at 4.45am we were 39 & 40 in the queue. They take you into the studio in number order which is really good. But they fill sections up at a time. You could be at the back row of that section and a person with a higher number in the queue could get front row of the next section. Pot luck really. I found people didn’t really start queuing until about 6-6.30am and i don’t think anyone was turned away. However that was the Friday show!!!

All I can say if you have tickets enjoy the experience we didn’t know where to look next when we were they!!!

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

29 September 2016 at 00:09

My wife and I went to the Friday show on the 23rd September 2016. Unaware of the need to join a queue from 2.30am to validate tickets at 9.00 am, after travelling 4 hours we arrived at 14.00 hours to find that we were allocated YELLOW tickets in the low 40’s and warned that we were not guaranteed entry however there was a chance that we would get in. We were informed to report at the entry gate no earlier than at 18:15 hours which we did and witnessed the lucky one’s with red tickets enter the studios – we with yellow tickets were asked to form a queue in numerical order on the path at the side of a recreational park – I believe the Yellow numbers allocated was close to 100.

The weather at this time was warm but as the sun went in it became very cold. There was no protection against the elements with many in shirts/blouses and women wearing flimsy dresses. We waited and were regularly updated by the entry staff that they were waiting on Production staff to arrive to see how many places were available. It appears that the so-called production staff and their partners can casually arrive with apparently no specific cut off time.

At approximately 19.35 and frozen to the core we were suddenly painfully aware of a young lady wailing and sobbing her heart out as her grandmother lay prone and on her back on the on the grass just yards away: awaiting the arrival of a paramedic. Her condition looked serious and it was difficult to tell if she had fallen, fainted or if she had suffered a heart attack or stroke. I am of the opinion the cold conditions contributed to her situation – it was extremely upsetting to all of those in the queue. At approximately 8pm the entry staff began to let the first YELLOW 50 tickets holders in – thankfully into the warmth of the arrival tent. By this time the elderly lady who was laying on the damp and cold grass was able to stand and she was assisted into the venue by the BBC gate staff and paramedic. I do not know what became of her and whether she was fit enough to attend the event or was taken away for further treatment.

Although the seats had a restricted view the show and experience of seeing a live TV show being broadcast was great. However the sight of that poor woman laying on the ground and the sound of her granddaughter in a distraught state soured the experience. Clearly the organisation for ticket allocation is totally inadequate and unfair on fans of Strictly who travel long distances and who are unaware of the unofficial procedure to ensure guaranteed entry. With the winter approaching fast I hope that the ticketing method can be sorted out before there is a serious casualty or a fatal event occurring with the Strictly standby hopefuls who are basically treated as cattle. What a shame that the BBC production team allows their fans to be treated in this way.

29 September 2016 at 17:52

Barry – thank you so much for this. And I’m sorry it’s taken a day to get to it. I’m not sure what to say. It’s as my husband said. It’s a ticket to stand in a queue, not for the show. Clearly many people do turn up taking it at face value (although my ticket was heavily caveated, I assume this is still true). I remember well the shocked look of people rocking up at nooon and being waved to the back of the long, long queue. I know it’s earlier now. I’m happy you got in, but what a mixed experience. Again. Thank you so much for your story.

29 September 2016 at 19:23

Hi Barry Just the same as last year the audience are treated like cattle from start to finish. The BBC do not care about the audience as it is all about getting getting the show done on the cheap. Is about time they started to make the so-called production staff and their partners turn up by a specific time. Provide a better system of ticket allocation and allow the fans to queue in the dry and warmth.

6 October 2016 at 16:54

Hi Helen, I’m going next Saturday and taking my Mother who is 73. I’m a bit concerned about her not having much to eat or drink etc all day. Do you know if I’ll be able to take some food and drink in?

7 October 2016 at 17:16

Hi Heather, I did see people eating in the holding area. I think you can take food in but it had to be sealed, I think you may be able to buy sandwiches there also. When your tickets are validated in the morning check with BBC staff, they were really helpful. Have an incredible time!! x

28 September 2016 at 18:23

We were tickets numbers 163/164 after arriving at around 6.30am. I overheard that 5am arrivals were around the 100 mark. On Sat 24th Ticket numbers 1&2 got there at 11.30pm!! It is pot luck for where you get sat, we got sat between the steps and the judges right behind where Tess interviews them after the dance. This was complete luck on us getting selected because the others we were sat with had varying tickets numbers to ours. It was the atmosphere that really made it, the studio is fairly small so nowhere is that far away from the action xx

3 October 2016 at 14:40

Hi all, have been lucky enough to get tickets for 15th October, and have been reading through all of your brilliant advice re attending the shows. I only live 10 minutes away in Barnet, and was planning on getting to the queue about 7am, as there’s no way I will last the day if I get there any earlier!

However, one thing I am a little bit concerned about is the comments on the size of the seats. I’m a larger lady so to speak, and would hate to have to encroach on anyone else’s space. Is it possible to ask to be given an aisle seat? Or would I be better off aiming for one of the gallery benches instead (although how I can do that I have no idea!).

3 October 2016 at 20:17

Hi Rachel, well, congratulations! You should be fine when for getting in and through at that kind of time. The production staff are all so lovely, so I’m sure as you go through the magic doors you could say something. There’s no sense in saying anything before then. They will really do their best – even if that means a gallery bench. Just have your elbows wide and give your concerns. You will be treated like royalty (once through the fun of the queueing!). Enjoy!

3 October 2016 at 22:46

Should read – You are Joking!!!!! Unless they make you an exception you will not be treated like royalty but like cattle.

4 October 2016 at 22:12

I also have tickets to Strictly on Saturday 15th October and am very excited! I’m bringing my mum along too who is flying over from Northern Ireland. I sincerely hope we get in after all the effort we are going to! Like most people who have commented on here, we are also staying at the Ibis. I was thinking of starting to queue at around 5am… and letting my mum lie in. Is that a ridiculously early time? I fear not getting in as it really is a dream come true!

My question is whether we should bring our mobiles or leave them at the hotel..?! It sounds so silly although my mum raised a good point earlier that if we do bump into the dancers / judges we might just want to take a selfie! But would our phones be taken off us at this point?

I’m really very excited and just hope it all works out. Really grateful for your blog post, it been amazing to read up on other people’s experiences.

Best wishes,

5 October 2016 at 08:24

Congratulations Laura (and Mum). I’d leave the phones behind – on show day there’s about as much chance as seeing one of the dancers/celebs as catching a shooting star. That said, I seem to recall Gemma seeing Alijaz at the hotel. If you have your phone on you when you go into the studio, they will confiscate it from you anyway, and that just means another queue when you leave. You’re fine with them in the first queue to be allocated tickets, to be clear.

5 October 2016 at 17:19

Hi , we met lots of dancers and celebs t the performance as we were at the back on the bottom where all the dancers wait. Also if you stay behind after the show some stayed and I got an autograph from Anton

5 October 2016 at 18:18

I’m sure that will brighten Laura’s day. I’m sure you can dine out on the story without having a selfie! Oh, the days when I used to ‘collect’ autographs. You’re in danger of taking me down memory lane, Di! Thanks for the comment…

5 October 2016 at 19:17

Amazing! Thank you so much. I’ll cross my fingers and toes and hope we at least get a hug or autograph.

6 October 2016 at 22:09

We have tickets for the Halloween show!! I’m so excited HOWEVER I am very pregnant. I am hoping to be a trooper with the early queuing but worrying about no seats in the holding area. I would bring my own small chair but I think we are going to fly from Edinburgh so luggage wise is wont be practical. Hopefully the excitement will get me through. I almost cried when I received the email. It’s so exciting!!

The information on this site is amazing. Thank you so much.

7 October 2016 at 07:22

There were seats in the holding area – we sat on some! If someone doesn’t give you a seat, Heather, as Len says “I’ll pickle my walnuts”…

We’re all happy to be of Strictly service!

7 October 2016 at 07:53

Hi We went last week with me being 26 weeks pregnant and the BBC team couldn’t have looked after me better!!! We queued from 3.30am and got tickets 9&10. I think some people thought I was crazy but I made sure I had everything I needed to make myself as comfortable as possible and the time flew! When it came to our tickets being validated I told them I was worried about queuing again later as wouldn’t have a seat and I was told to make myself known when returning at 3pm and they would let us go to the front of the queue and get me a seat. When we returned the queue wasn’t too big maybe about 50 people so I wasn’t going to say anything but they recognised me straight away (the bump helped) got on the walkie talkie and I was directed to the front of the queue and a chair was presented to me. I don’t like a lot of fuss and I felt a bit uncomfortable about it but at the end of the day everybody in the queue had tickets so it wasn’t like I was pushing in and preventing others from getting in. This then meant we were first into the holding area which was great as we went and got our souvenir photos done first before a queue formed (it got huge within minutes) and then had the pick of the seats so we got as close to the studio door as we could. The whole experience was amazing, I nearly didn’t go because of being pregnant but so glad I did. Being 9&10 we literally had the best seats, front row opposite band but also right next to the central camera on the side where the stairs are to the Clauditorium. We had so many interactions with judges, celebs, pro’s and Tess and Stuart the warm up guy asked the whole audience to give my bump and I a round of applause during the long break we had due to waiting on the decision being made about the controversial non dance off! Craig & Darcey were at the judges table at this time and some of the pro’s were looking over the balcony too so I felt completely overwhelmed by it all as I’m not one who likes much attention! Go and enjoy yourself, you will be well looked after I promise. I would go back every week if I could!

7 October 2016 at 09:24

Jess what a lovely Strictly story. I knew the production staff would be sympathetic, but to look out for you, even better. What an experience to see the non-dance off. I wonder if that’s how you’ll reference in years to come! Xx

7 October 2016 at 13:33

Thank you very much for your explanation.

My problem is although I’m far along my bump isn’t that big and noticeable. There’s still time though but it didn’t grow much last time either but my pelvis was dodgy and painful. I will quietly mention to the person who validates my ticket then and hope for the best. I’m so excited. I could hardly sleep last night thinking about it.

7 October 2016 at 09:47

Looked after only if you are pregnant!!!!!!!!

7 October 2016 at 20:40

Hi Everyone My Mum has got tickets for the Halloween show, we are soooo excited, can’t believe it as it’s the first time we’ve tried applying. So lucky. Thanks for all the great info on this page. Just have to wait to see if my Mum can get the time off work and then we’re in business. A couple of questions, if anyone can help please:- 1. As one person can queue to validate but it says you need ID, can it be me who queues or would it have to be my Mum who has actually been allocated the tickets? 2. Has anyone stayed at the Holiday Inn? It seems like only a 20 minute walk away and a bit cheaper… Thanks so much in advance. Can’t wait to go shopping for my outfit and be part of the experience!

8 October 2016 at 00:19

Stay at the Ibis – well worth the extra especially if the weather is bad.

7 October 2016 at 21:08

I have been lucky enough to get a positive response from the draw for an upcoming Strictly programme and am currently considering whether attempting attending. If it wasn’t for this site I wouldn’t have realised the lengths people are going to for ticket validation. I had invited my Godmother to attend but at 82 I was concerned about the queueing from 3 pm let alone starting to queue from the early morning. I live over 100 miles away although she is local. Is it possible for me to validate both tickets if not I cannot justify risking her health just to see a TV show. I also can see no way that I can get there to queue before 6 am. Advice gratefully received.

9 October 2016 at 15:37

I attended the October 8th 2016 show with my mum and it was amazing ! Very long day but 100% worth it for the experience I promise you ! Here’s my advice …. -get there for no later than 6am if you want seats with a good view! ( me and mum got there for 6 exactly and got ticket number 114 & 115 ) they validate tickets at 9 and you go and return for 3pm .( one person can validate both tickets )We were sat opposite judges about 4 rows back as first 3 are for Celebs & staff guests . If you get ticket number 150+ you most likely will be sat upstairs which isn’t really as good at the floor I have to be honest . – they call the tickets numbers in order in the holding tent so 0-30 ( front row ) 30-50 /50-100/100-50 etc so when you enter the holding tent GO TO THE STUDIO ENTRANCE DOOR AT BACK RIGHT after you get your drinks etc because each section (e.g 50-100) are allocated seats to one section randomly so if your at the door first you get the seat with the best views ( even if your ticket 85 and someone is 50 and was waiting in que an hour earlier. < BEST ADVICE . – chairs aren't necessary if your travelling along way ( we didn't want to carry them so sat on rolled up blankets and dressed warm & bring umbrella. ) – your sat down for a solid 7 hours in the studio and they give Apple juice and kit Kat half way but I suggest bringing snacks&heater in your handbag. – ladies . You don't want to wait in a mile long cue to collect your phone after being in heels for 7 hours so just leave it at hotel/car instead ( you can't take it in ) – I don't want to scare anyone but I must say there was an older gentlemen who actually fainted half way due to the length of the show and being sat still and Probaly not having eaten so you must be sure you can hack the seating time ( still so worth it though !!!) -ibis is the closest hotel ( literally 5 minute walk) so would be the most convenient . Me and mum stayed at holiday inn as was abit cheaper and was a great hotel too , abit further but not by a lot . – they don't ask for ID unless you look younger than 14 so don't worry if your validating tickets that your friends got because they won't know . Overall me and mum had a truley amazing weekend , so worth the travel and waiting , everyone attending was in such good spirits ! We made friends with some ladies in the cue who were kind enough to give us a lift back to the hotel ! Hope your show goes amazing and you enjoy it everyone ! Xxx

9 October 2016 at 19:52

We are going to the Halloween show! We’re planning to start queuing at about 6am. Does anyone know if the car park near the Ibis hotel will be open at that time?

9 October 2016 at 21:50

So we was lucky attend on Saturday 8th October for Movie week – we couldn’t have wished for a better week really – performances were incredible!

This blog really helped me so I thought I’d throw together everything that I think might be useful for you if you was lucky enough to get a golden ticket!

– Maxwell Road ‘entrance’ is where you need to head on Saturday morning – Its not really an entrance its a unassuming gate next to a park away from the main Elstree entrance. I’d advise having a look around on Friday evening if you’re staying overnight – we did and it was really helpful to know in advance where to go. Someone broken the all time queue record by turning up at 19:15 on FRIDAY night! Crazy or what?! We arrived at 05:40 on Saturday morning after a 3hr and 20 min wait we was number 106 and 107! Dress for all weather and if anything as the series goes on dress for it being freezing as early morning often are! Biggest tip for the queue is to take a folding chair if you are going early – we didn’t and I’m in my late twenties and my back was killing after the long wait!

– I spoke to someone who turned up at 08:55 and was number 456 I overheard someone who turned up at 11:10 and was on a standby queue to get into the Studio and was lucky and did! My advice get there as early as you can as its worth it!

– We stayed at the Travelodge which was 10 mins down the road, in retrospect I would totally do what most people did on this blog and stay at the Ibis which is so close to Maxwell Road.

– We was called back at 15:00 to go into the Marquee next to the Studio. We was let into the studio about 16:15 Given the Live show didn’t start until 18:45 you can expect quite alot of waiting, prerecording segments etc. They let you into the studio in numeric ‘order’ they do so in batches of 50 so we was let in with numbers 100 to 150. For us we got great seats – right next to the stairs that the celebs walk up to see Claudia. We was about five rows back so we couldn’t be seen on TV but that didn’t matter. As we got great great views of the celebs going up the stairs, the judges and the dancefloor. Be prepared to not get the golden seats that you see on TV. They are reserved for ‘production’ tickets so its very very unlikely you will get a perfect seat but any seat is great as the atmosphere is incredible. The first four rows opposite the judges are reserved and the majority of immediate rows around the judges are also reserved. You will either be sitting behind these reserved seats or on the balcony… or you could get lucky and get a seat right the front if people don’t turn up!

– We didn’t leave until 22:45 so its a really, really long day (even with a nap between getting tickets and going back to the studio) – all in all we was in the studio for almost seven hours. With a short break in between the main show and result filming. Whilst the production team do give out a chocolate bar and juice after the main show its not really enough to carry you through a long evening. People did take food in with them that they ate in the Marquee and in the studio – we wasn’t asked not to eat or advised only to do so during the pre-recorded segments so I’d say have a really big late lunch or take snacks with you. I saw a member of the production team cooking a chicken breast on a sandwich toaster backstage haha! The things you see off camera!

– Be prepared to whoop, scream, clap alot louder and more dramatically than you ever usually would when watching something live – the production crew and warm up guy don’t just actively encourage it they full on enforce the rowdiness! The live audience is a massive part of the show and as it goes out live they want to create the best atmosphere they can – the audiences response really helps with that.

You really will have a fantastic time – for us it was a once in a life time experience and I won’t apply in future years to allow other people to have a shot. The experience of being in the Studio is wonderful – its so much smaller than you imagine, Len in particular was a gentleman, speaking to the audience and walking round shaking hands, Tess also was really lovely. The Pro’s are adorable and the support they all show for each other is so lovely. Seeing all the set changes, camera work and behind the scenes stuff is so exciting! The only thing that would have made it better for me is if Tameka didn’t go – real shame with the two in the dance off!

Soak up every second and i hope my tips help!

10 October 2016 at 10:42

Thanks Dean. Amazing how early people are queueing now isn’t it? Wow. Gutted that Tameka went too; such a lovely partnership with Gorka the Corker! I wonder what they’re (BBC) quoting as the odds for getting a ticket this year? Did they say that midst all the announcements about using the loos?

10 October 2016 at 22:32

I’m going on Saturday with my sister and after reading the two updated reviews from this weekend I’m not sure my excitement levels will hold out!!! Thanks everyone for the advice, so helpful as it’s going to be a once in a lifetime experience!!!

11 October 2016 at 20:18

This blog has been amazing and I would like to give a huge thanks to Julia and all the contributors. I would say …… do your research and the day will be fabulous. We went to last Saturdays Movie Week show and totally agree with Dean on the atmosphere and what a wonderful experience it was. We arrived at Maxwell Road gates at 5.45am with our folding chairs, a golfing umbrella and snacks. It was still dark and we thought perhaps we would be among the first few… how wrong we were. However time flew by chatting with some lovely people. It was a bit chilly and rained a little so advice is to wrap up warm and take chairs. We stayed at the Ibis which is a couple of minutes walk away and easy to pop back to use the loo. At 9am the queue started moving. At 9.10 we were on our way to get breakfast with validated tickets numbers 110 & 111. We were lucky to get seated right behind the judges. We left our phones at the hotel and when we got back around 11pm we had tons of messages saying we were on TV every time the cameras were on the judges…. we’ve certainly had our 15 mins of fame… lol! We met the judges and some of the celebrities. Judge Rinder was so friendly and chatty. What a lovely guy. Will Young sat in front of us on the steps for a while but didn’t make eye contact with anyone or talk – not even to the other dancers or celebs. Its such a shame that hes now left the show. It was interesting to note that the couple sitting behind us in the studio joined the queue in the morning at 8.50am. So I don’t think it has any bearing on where you are actually seated in the studio. A couple in our hotel arrived at 2pm to validate their tickets (they had obviously not read this blog) and were refused and offered tickets to another show, They were not happy. Be aware that it is a very long tiring day. Sitting in the studio on hard chairs (very close together) for 7 hours with only a short break. Having said that it was a magical, sparkly, fabulous experience. Enjoy!

12 October 2016 at 14:10

Aw, Dawn, you’re so welcome. I’ve said it before, but I never expected it to be such a useful resource! The people you referred to can’t have even read the T&Cs on the ticket (unless that’s changed?). Surely it says in black & white that validation is by 09:00 – it was noon in my day! That makes me sound ancient! Hahahaha

11 October 2016 at 20:09

I’m very lucky to have got tickets for Halloween Eeeek, so excited, I’m staying at The Travel Lodge as Ibis is fully booked, I’m planning on getting to queue for 6am, hopefully I can get earlier as I’m worried about the view as I’m only 4ft 10 1/2 ins tall and dont need someone very tall in front of me for me to not see. What is it like for a shortie to see? I’m so worried about it.

12 October 2016 at 14:07

Well, my view is that no view (except the front rows) are 100%, and I remember trying to wobble my head around the folks in front of me. You hardly see their feet. The best view IS at home (except the front rows). What you get is a whole lot more – so don’t let it worry you unduly. You’re SOOOOOOOOO lucky to get a ticket! Soak it all in!

15 October 2016 at 21:55

I have tickets for the Halloween special but concerned as my sister is diabetic and it sounds like you have no opportunity to eat or drink for up to 7 hours – can anyone give me any advice? It appears you need to queue from 6am to have the chance of decent seats – is this the case?

16 October 2016 at 16:14

Well, Janine, congratulations on getting a pair of golden-queueing tickets. You will need to be earlier for the ‘best’ seats in the house, but recognise that there are relatively few really ‘decent’ seats. Read Dean’s comments. As to food, you will be able to take something in your bag, but it needs to be a small bag. And absolutely not eating/drinking during the live show, but there is opportunity to graze between recordings. So, 7 hours isn’t exactly right, but the couple of hours of the live show, yes. Hope that provides some reassurance. I’m sure others will comment too. You’ll have such a memorable day too!

16 October 2016 at 17:36

Thank you so much Julia – knowing that we can take in something really helps. I appreciate you taking time to respond

16 October 2016 at 21:59

All i can say is wow!! What an amazing experience!!! We arrived in the queue at 530am and at 915am had tickets validated at 79 and 80!!! early morning queuing went very quickly, lots of lovely like minded people with chairs, blankets, hats and scarves. There’s a big tesco and shell garage close by for refreshments and ibis hotel across the road for toilet! First people started queuing at 230am. Back to bed for a few hours, told to return at 330pm. The marquee for waiting built up the excitement; photo booth, bar, (a few) toilets and some seats. Numbers called in groups, e.g. 1-30 first but the excellent stewards make sure u queue up in ticket number order. Very civilised! Entering the studio is just amazing! We got seats opppsote the judges, Behind friends and families!! Yes the seats are close together and not that comfy but it takes nothing away from the experience!!! Soooooo amazing!! Don’t go if u enjoy complaining about small things, it’s a free event!!!! Finished about 1030pm. I’m still getting over seeing Ore and Joanne’s jive!!!!!! yes it’s a long day but my oh my totally worth it!!!!!!!

17 October 2016 at 08:52

Well said Rachel! I can feel your passion dripping off the screen. That jive! I might not have to talk to you. One of the best EVER dances – and he seems so endearing.

16 October 2016 at 19:21

I would say prepare all day before you come in. Make sure you have plenty of good quality carbohydrates, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice, nuts before and take come good quality snacks in your bag. By all means take refined sugar for a hit but good quality carbs are what will sustain the diabetes.

16 October 2016 at 22:57

I was there last week for Movie week. AMAZING experience! Thank u so much for your blog, really helpful! We flew over from Northern Ireland, £50 taxi from the airport & 2 nights in a hotel. Worth every penny & I would do it again in a heartbeat!!!!!

17 October 2016 at 08:53

Glad we all helped your day, Tanya! You will still be talking about it two years later if my experience is anything to go by!!

16 October 2016 at 23:30

Fabulous blog! Thank you. Does anyone know how the fabulous floor projections are done? Dancers don’t seem to interfere with them. It looks like they are dancing on under floor projections or LCD flooring. ???

17 October 2016 at 08:54

Aw, thanks Keith! No idea on the floor projections. Isn’t it just Strictly magic?

19 October 2016 at 18:32

I went last Saturday, 15 October. This was only my 2nd year of applying for tickets so I was very lucky indeed. I got the text/email 2 weeks before and invited my crazy Strictly friend who was absolutely ecstatic! We did our homework and read all the instructions/notes from the BBC. Also, a friend of ours went last year so gave us the low-down too. I hadn’t read the above comments until today and have to say we were pretty much spot on so agree with most the comments above particularly from this year. We decided to queue quite early as we thought if we’re going to do it, we’ve got to do it properly and get as close to the front as possible. We joined the queue in Maxwell Road at 03.45 and were approx. 10th from the front. We found out the first couple got there at 01.30 and next couple 02.30. We came prepared, had the lot until I saw the couple of girls in front that we got talking to had hot water bottles lol! They were staying at the Ibis so would go back to refill them lol.

N.B. the Ibis is the best place to stay in terms of closeness (5mins walk) and the Civic Centre next to it for parking. We parked in Brook Road car park (near the roundabout) which is only about 8-10mins walk away. Even though parking is free until 8am, you can still put your money in the machine when you arrive early as it only charges you from 8am which we weren’t aware (instead of going back just before 8am like my friend did!).

I was surprised how quickly 9am came, thanks to the group of people around us…we had such a laugh! Shortly after 9am our tickets were validated…numbers 13 and 14 (couple of people in front queuing for 2). We were over the moon! No ID checks btw and only one of you need to queue. All done just before 09.30 and home just before 10am. I didn’t get to sleep before going back as I had a few errands to do, instead relaxed in a hot bath which was bliss!

We were back in the queue at 3.45pm. It didn’t take long to get into the marquee, think it was about 4.15pm. Once in, we gave our jackets in (left mobiles at home), popped to the ladies then met the couples we’d been chatting to in the queue early that morning and had a drink at the bar whilst waiting to be called. Then the first group (1-30) were called up around 5.30pm and as others mentioned, you had to queue in number order so all very civilised. We were so excited by this point! We were lead around the back where all staff/film crew were into the studio. I just couldn’t believe we were actually here and yes, it is a lot smaller than it looks on TV. Then we were being shown to our seats. OMG we really did have the best seats in the house…the end two, front row seats opposite band, right next to ‘Claudiatorium’ steps and where they all come on/off the dance floor so we got to meet and chat to most of them! Got a kiss from Anton who is just so lovely and a handshake from the gorgeous Aljaž. Ed Balls and Judge Rinder were just funny. Darcy was lovely and sweet as was Bruno. Craig seemed not so friendly and Len was just miserable that night but did say good night to us. It was just amazing being right in front of all the dancers and able to see all the details from hair and make-up down to their shoes. The dresses and shoes were just gorgeous.

One thing….Ore’s jive….WOW!!!!!

It is a very long, tiring day (finished around 22.45) to be seated for about 5 hours in the studio with only a couple of quick breaks on chairs which are on the small side and very close together but these are golden tickets and when you have seats as good as we did, you just don’t care. Personally I would have hated being sat behind the judges as I wouldn’t have felt comfortable being filmed so much, however, we were filmed as my friend watched the live show when she got home and then the results on Sunday and did see us a few times on both shows but it’s not so obvious. The only slight negative about sitting where we did was that we weren’t allowed to stand at all due to the camera moving from left to right above us so when there was a standing ovation, you had to remember not to jump up!

We really did have an amazing time and the staff were all so lovely and friendly and very helpful. I would definitely do it all again if I won tickets again! Thank you BBC and Strictly for making this such a memorable day! 

I really wasn’t going to comment much but then got carried away! Good luck to those who have won tickets for this Saturday’s show….you’ll have a fabulous time!

21 October 2016 at 11:31

Sorry for the delay in approving the comment – away staying with family (grandchildren and puppy combo doesn’t leave much time. Haven’t watched Zoe in days!!). I’m very glad you allowed your fingers to flow. Lovely account. It’s easy to get carried away!

20 October 2016 at 13:48

Hi, We’re lucky to be going to Elstree this week and I’m wondering if anyone can give me more information on where the queue starts for the ticket validation? (I don’t want to be out there waiting in the wrong place!!) Thanks

21 October 2016 at 09:38

I have a ticket to queue for 5th November, so excited as my late husband applied religiously for me each year with no luck, I things well I will have to do it now,

The added bonus is that Gary Barlow is singing for the results show according to the strictly Facebook page . Couldn’t sleep last night thinking about what time I need to queue from. To make sure I get seats . I only live 40 minutes away

21 October 2016 at 11:33

Happy dilemma Tina! Love GB too! Let’s hope you get your sleep sorted otherwise you’ll be too bleary eyed to enjoy the magic!

21 October 2016 at 11:46

I am taking my 14 year old niece with me and worried they will not let her in. We have ID, but not photo ID. Does anyone know how strict they are at checking their age? She does look 16!! Thank you x

22 October 2016 at 22:36

Take her passport as they were quite strict last year- one person in particular questioned my daughters age last year, she’s 14.

21 October 2016 at 22:39

So excited…my mum (80) and I found out today that we have tickets for 5th Nov. This blog is so very helpful – thank you Julia for starting it.

After reading all the experiences, I have now booked a night at the Ibis for the Fri eve, so that I can leave Mum in bed and get in the queue early hours . Hopefully once I’ve got tickets validated I can walk back to the hotel for breakfast. I’ve also noticed that for an extra £20 we can do late-check out from the Ibis and get use of the room all day – to get glitzed and glittered up!

I appreciate all the useful tips like leaving mobile phones in the car, and taking a chair for the morning queue. I assume its not appropriate to take chairs for the late afternoon queue, as it looks like it’s quicker getting to the holding area?? I’m a little concerned about the length of time standing, especially as my Mum is 80. And also need to be sure I queue in the right place!

Fingers crossed for a successful experience. I’m so excited after reading all these stories. And happy to notice from Tina that Gary Barlow is performing!

I’ll be sure to update with any tips and share the experience afterwards 🙂

22 October 2016 at 12:22

Super excited! My Husband and myself are coming up on the 5th of November! I’m aiming to start queuing around 2pm ish. Am also concerned where to queue? Hope not to be wandering around in the dark looking out for validation office On my lonesome! Lol

23 October 2016 at 10:25

I think you mean 2am? You’re looking for Maxwell Park. Then you’ll see the giant gates for the studio with the Strictly Come Dancing logo on posters. You should be fine. There may even be security around as they come out from time to time to check everyone is keeping quiet. Have fun. You’ll not be on your own.

23 October 2016 at 22:36

Ha,ha! Thanks Fiona, I did mean 2 AM! Lol Thank you for your reply & help xx I might just take Julia’s advice too on setting up table & chanderlabra!

22 October 2016 at 16:38

Rachel- best thing to do is to take a picture of your niece’s passport on your phone. They are very happy to accept that, in fact I forgot to bring ours but a quick phone all to my son who sent me a picture from home and they were really helpful.

23 October 2016 at 10:22

We went to see Strictly last night (22nd) and I am SO grateful for this blog – it was a lifesaver! SO interesting to see people turning up at 9am and upset about getting ticket no 458. I thought I would take some time to answer a few questions that I didn’t see here and add my tips into the pot.

We stayed at the Travelodge £42 for the night and booked 2pm check out £10 giving us lots of time to go back rest & change for later. We made friends with people staying at the Ibis who were in the queue and they gave us their room number so we could park nearer for £1.

We joined the queue at 4:25am taking thermals, chairs, blankets & flasks – all needed as it was VERY cold. However, the time went super quick as we chatted and became ‘strictly’ family with those around us. We ended up with tickets 40 & 41.

Back to bed for a snooze (well not really as we were too excited) and then a carb loading lunch (there’s a Toby Carvary next door to Travelodge). Don’t eat a big breakfast as you need a big lunch to see you through the LONG evening.

We were told NOT to arrive before 3:30pm so didn’t but there was a long queue when we got there. Honestly the only reason to queue or arrive earlier is if you want your photo taken in the Strictly booth – we queued and didn’t get in but the pictures are tiny and simply just had the logo behind so we weren’t bothered.

They then take you into the studio based on your ticket no. It turns out that 0-32 are the ‘golden tickets’. They get to sit at the back of the studio with the same view of the dance floor as the audience at home and unrestricted viewing. Lovely but not if you have folks at home who want to see you as you won’t be on the camera.

ALL prime seats are taken by production friends & family. That’s ALL sections around the judges and the majority of the section opposite. With our amazing tickets, we were shown to 6 rows back in the block of seats where Tess stands. However people complained that they couldn’t see as my friend and I are 6ft. Next minute I’m being shown to a seat RIGHT NEXT TO BRUNO (3 rows back on the end) and my friend is at the end of the front row! She got chatting to the other people on the front row and they said they had turned up at 9am but when they got to the studio in the afternoon, someone approached them and asked them to stand in a special area. They were 2 x young and attractively dressed couples and a stunning mother & daughter. At the end of the live recording they were all moved to the back and a whole row of random people from the back were moved to the front to make it look different for the Sunday show.

SO whilst it’s great to queue and I would do it again in a heartbeat, just be warned that it doesn’t necessarily get you the seats you want and the allocation of prime seats is actually very random! Although I wasn’t ‘on camera’ so much my view was amazing and Bruno made lots of comments to me – we swapped numbers (not really!).

SO a couple of practical details: You are a allowed to take a small bag in with a bottle of water. We decided to take as little as possible but they barely checked our bag (definitely could have taken phone in although production would have been hot on our heels if we’d got it out!) so I regret not taking more fluid. However the plus side of this was that we didn’t need the loo – you’re sat in there for 5 hours. Energy levels definitely drooped about the time they got the kitkats out but there’s so much going on I’m glad we didn’t bother with snacks as I don’t know when you’d whip them out. The queue for coats was pretty substantial at the end so we were glad not to have bothered with that although I understand they process it quickly.

All in all a FAB U LOUS experience that I feel VERY privileged to have been part of. Enjoy all you people going. Feel free to ask me questions. 🙂

23 October 2016 at 14:56

Thanks for such a great account Fiona! It makes me feel the excitement all over again. It’s a pretty consistent story; just be prepared and savour the moments!

23 October 2016 at 21:02

Thanks Julia. Bet you never thought your blog would become such an integral part of the Strictly audience process but there’s a massive bunch of us that are grateful that it has and are grateful to you for continuing to host the conversation. Thank you!

24 October 2016 at 08:46

You’re not wrong there! But it does give me great pleasure. All good really!

23 October 2016 at 13:52

Have now read all the above comments and advise and pleased to now know where to queue For validating tickets! This blog is such a great help! Thank you Julie and for everyone’s input

26 October 2016 at 12:56

Hi Antoinette,

Validation is at gates near the park at the end of Maxwell Road. There are big silver gates (they had a sign on them when we were there). Good luck.

26 October 2016 at 22:09

I have got tickets to be validated for 5th November, struggling to get childcare to get up there early in morning to validate ticket myself, would my dad be able to do it on my and my cousins behalf? We only live an hour away and he has kindly volunteered his services in the strictly glitter mission

27 October 2016 at 14:26

I think that would be OK – any views? You could always phone the BBC line and double-check. It sounds like they’ve been really helpful in the past… ENJOY! Love the ‘strictly glitter mission’ BTW!

31 October 2016 at 20:51

Clare they literally scan your ticket – no id no checks no nothing so you’ll be fine 🙂

1 November 2016 at 12:14

Thanks I took Julia’s advice and rang the BBC phone line and had to wait 24hrs for an answer but they said it was ok for my dad to validate our tickets on our behalf as they have made a note of this on my ticket account!!! Thought the hard part was applying for tickets! that’s been the easy part, compared to trying to validate the tickets around small children and night working husband strictly glitter mission is turning into a military operation! Know it will be so worth it though can’t wait!!!! X

26 October 2016 at 23:23

This is an amazing blog for SCD fans and those going to the shows! I am soooooo excited to get tickets for 5th Nov show and now feel a lot happier about the validation process having read these posts! I shall definitely take a chair as not able to stand for long periods of time! My main concern though is where to park for a reasonable price? Will probably drive there in the morning and then go home and come back again in the afternoon (only 30 minutes away) So need parking that stays open late or off street parking for free! Don’t mind a short walk if anyone knows of free street parking??

27 October 2016 at 14:27

Gee, shucks Sarah. Glad to be of glittery service! I can’t speak about the parking – but I’m sure someone will answer your call. You’ll have a blast.

31 October 2016 at 20:50

Sarah. There’s a car park opposite which is free until 8am. By that time I had made friends with someone in the queue staying at the IBIS who then gave me their room no & name so I could park in the same carpark for £1 for the day. Seriously all the people in the queue are so excited to be there that I’m sure they will help you. Have fun – it’s the BEST! x

4 November 2016 at 16:35

Thanks Fiona. I have been on google maps now so have an idea of where everything is. Getting very excited as just received a text message from the BBC re validating tickets!! So close!!

29 October 2016 at 11:44

Well I am in the thisck of it now. we flew down from Edinburgh to Luton yesterday and hired a car to come to the Premier Inn. We had a look at Maxwell Road last night and the place is covered in signs telling your where to start queuing and that there are no toilets/parking near by. We had a lovely meal at Tay tar Thai on the High Street last night and returned for an early night and set our alarms for half 4. We got to the gate for just after 5am and we’re surrounded by lovely people (one person was there for the second year in a row). We got numbers 100-101. We thought where we were in the queue we were going to be in the 80s so there must be quite a few queuing for another person. We were not asked for ID.

They have told us all to come back and different times and tried to drill it into us not to arrive any earlier as we will just have a longer wait.

We are going to head to Nandos in town, in our glad rags, for 2pm and take the 5 minute walk to the studios. Where I really really hope I can get a seat as I’m massively pregnant. Will report back tomorrow with the second half of our day.

We are so excited!!!

30 October 2016 at 13:38

Sorry for the delay – yesterday was mad here in Harvey-household. Haven’t even watched the show yet… #strictlyfail I’m so pleased it all worked. I think you must’ve been very close to an old school friend of mine who was in the queue!

30 October 2016 at 08:10

We got a taxi up to Nandos for 2 and filled up on food before going to the studios for 3 where there was another queue. We probably waited 10/15 minutes before they opened the gates and moved into the holding area. This is where you leave your coat and phone if you have them. Next time I wouldn’t return until 4 so I don’t have to queue. We weren’t interested in the photo booth but you could go during the break if you liked.

I took in some snacks for during the show. We had two toilet breaks during filming which seemed fine for everybody.

Being numbers 101 and 102 we were the 4th group to be called in and we’re across from the judges. The second last row which sound terrible but we actually had a fantastic view. There’s are 2-3 rows on each tier. So you want to be at the front of a tier. You could be nearer the front but with chairs the same level on front you will hardly see any dancing. But there no really bad seats in the audience. Even upstairs seemed fun. There were girls who just turned up at 3 and hadn’t been validated and they still got in to the show.

It would have been nicer if you were taken in in actual number order rather than your block but we felt we got lucky anyway.

It was a mild night and the studio was ROASTING. So I wouldn’t dress too warm. Most people were dressed up beautifully so don’t be afraid to go all out!

The whole night was fantastic. Tess and Claud were very funny inbetween takes and the warm up guy kept us going. Overall an incredible night. No stress whatsoever.

30 October 2016 at 13:39

Lovely. You did have the best of times!

30 October 2016 at 18:47

Thank you so much for letting us al hijack your blog. Everything has been so helpful!

31 October 2016 at 08:51

This came in from Janette overnight…. A really lovely and different summary.

Hi Julia. My husband and I went to the show yesterday and it was fantastic!! Your blog really helped me as I was panicking about a few things, so I thought I’d share my experience. Arrived at 9am and a huge queue. Got tickets 359 and 360. Sooo relieved. First person was at 1.30am and got a good seat but looked tired out!! Met others with seats 18/19 and never spotted them. Met2 girls who were very attractive so were given front seats. Another couple arrived at 10.30- no queue and got numbers 418/19 no trouble and also saw the 2 girls arrive at 3.00 unvalidated who got in. Most people seem to have arrived by 9am to be sure to get in. They did say Halloween was the most popular show – more than Xmas so thought there would be more tickets for Production staff and less extras for us, but they do say they calculate very carefully so as not to disappoint anyone. My husband saw people downstairs standing at the back so I would think you’d be unlucky not to be let in. I got myself in a right state about not getting in, so I hope this reassures people. We were told we would probably be upstairs with our numbers and we were given seats opposite the judges and close to the flying car and Natalie! Had a brilliant view and the seats are much comfier being padded. It was more relaxing knowing the camera wasn’t on us but have managed to spot our heads a few times on the telly today haha!! If you need the toilet in between breaks you tell staff and they let you. They are all very lovely and helpful. It did get warm but if you need the loo (Portacabins groan) they are outside so if you are queuing a jacket is good. Also some seats downstairs are cooler if your back is towards the opening doors. You could take food and bottled water in with you. I took flapjacks to eat while the VT is on, but a lady next to me sat eating a banana and wasn’t told off. They seem very relaxed about it. The whole experience is completely magical but exhausting. The photo booth is fun and they give you a photo with 4 poses on it – a lovely souvenir if you don’t mind queuing. Overall, there is a lot of standing and queuing but the coat queue and mobile phone queue at end of night was very quick. There are lots of seats however in the waiting area (a marquee) so don’t worry about that. Hope this helps all those other worriers like me. You’ll have a brilliant time. PS There’s a car park next to the Ibis with lots of spaces all day. £5 for the whole day.

31 October 2016 at 11:08

Just wanted to say that this blog is essential for those successful in securing a golden ticket! We travelled from Belfast & had we not read this blog I doubt we would have got seats.

We stayed in the travellodge Borehamwood which is a 10minute walk from the studio. Got up at 5.30 and arrived at the queue for 6am. Roughly counted that we were 130. Of course you don’t know who is queuing for 1 or 2 but delighted that we were going to get in. The BBC security staff were so friendly & informed us that 460 had got seats the week before. Fans in the queue were really lovely and one lady shared her seats with us.

The 3 hours went so quickly and I was able to pop to McDonalds for a coffee & a comfort break – 10 minutes in total!

We got stamped 174 & 175 and told to come back for 3pm

We headed to Tesco for supplies and passed where the stars go in. We were lucky enough to see a couple going in and they stopped for photos and autographs. As you aren’t allowed a phone or camera later on this was a huge thrill!!

Had a huge carb laden lunch and then really went all out for glamour. We wore party dresses complete with sparkle and the people in our hotel did the same which was so great to see in the early afternoon. Some audience though didn’t and we even saw jeans!!

Queued up again in the park and was so glad the weather was fine as we stood in our finery. The gates opened at 3pm and we showed our red stickers to get into the marquee. A couple of G&Ts and the level of excitement was palpable. We got to our seats by 4.30pm and where just behind the judges table. Really couldn’t believe our luck. As another blog said some of the gorgeous people are hand picked to sit in the front rows. No doubt devastating if you had queued from 2am and weren’t awarded that privilege.

The whole evening (7hrs) went so quickly & it’s not uncomfortable. We had water and jelly sweets to keep us going.

I would advise if travelling from far to stay Friday & Saturday nights as once the adrenaline goes you will be exhausted.

But a truly wonderful once in a lifetime experience.

31 October 2016 at 12:39

Amazing isn’t it? Thank you Claire for sharing your experience and for your appreciation. That’s a good point about staying an extra night, if you can. You will be floating on glitter for a while though!

2 November 2016 at 11:20

Daughter and I have tickets for 12th November, and can I say… I am already bouncing off the walls… what I will be like once the 11th is here, I have no idea! Travelling down on the 11th to stay at the Ibis, early morning start to do what the British do best…. Queue! Reading through the posts, I feel reassured, so looking forward to it and will leave a review once we have got back. Just have to hope there isnt snow on that Saturday morning!

4 November 2016 at 18:54

Super excited as I have tickets for next week!! They have been given to me by a colleague who can’t use them. I hope I do not get asked for ID. Am planning to queue from 6am (ish). TBH I am not that fussed where I sit I just want to be in that studio although My friend and I aren’t the smallest of people so I am hoping that we may get an aisle seat! 🙂

4 November 2016 at 20:22

Hi all! Doing my last minute research before heading off on the sleeper tonight from Loch Lomond to Elstree! Many thanks for the info – now just praying that scooting from the station straight into the queue will be fast enough – otherwise it’s a very expensive trip to Borehamwood!

4 November 2016 at 22:25

Fingers crossed!

4 November 2016 at 22:16

Omg it’s nearly here all tucked up in bed alarm clock set for 2 am . Weather is wet and cold. Thermals and waterproofs all at the ready ,

4 November 2016 at 22:27

Sending warning, toasty vibes. Vile here in Cornwall – sincerely hope it’s not coming your way! Although I’m coxing a gig crew in the morning, so perhaps a little further east would be good! Sleep well!

5 November 2016 at 10:07

I woke up this morning early, and first thought was for all you lovely people in the queue, hopefully keeping warm!! We shall be doing it next week! Hope you have an A-MAY-ZING time 🙂

5 November 2016 at 11:03

Started queuing at 5.30am and managed to get tickets 145 and 146! Pretty cold so had frozen feet by 9am but worth it! Met a lovely group of people and had a good laugh! Also managed to park for free behind the park in Bullhead Road and just walked through the park to join the end of the queue. Easy! Off for asleep now then a big lunch and get ready to return for 3.45pm and showtime!

6 November 2016 at 17:47

I only went & won tickets again!!! After only having been 2 weeks ago!!!! What are the chances of that??!!!

7 November 2016 at 13:11

I’m not sure that we should be talking to you Fiona! Not jealous. Nope. Fine with that… Really… 😉

8 November 2016 at 11:44

Haha! It’s not really very fair but hey ho. I’ll force myself to go again …

9 November 2016 at 17:12

Hi Julia, What a great blog. We are lucky enough to have just got tickets for the Christmas Special. Any suggestions how to interpret the “Glamorous. Christmas Sparkle” dress code for MEN!! Does that mean DJ or smart casual with. Christmas Jumpers?…

9 November 2016 at 19:55

Well thank you Robin! We’re all glad to be of Strictly Service. The line up for the Christmas Special looks amazing! If it were me, I would not go down the Christmas Jumper route. That is not glamorous! I would say a fab-u-lous jacket (you will be sitting down), with something sparkly on the lapel. Channel your inner CRH and you won’t go wrong. I have a wonderful snowflake brooch you could’ve borrowed… Any other suggestions for Robin. But in Strictly-land, you can never be over-dressed!

9 November 2016 at 22:56

Julia. Totally agree. NO Christmas jumpers.

24 November 2016 at 17:58

Thanks Julia, Appropriately “sparkled-up” and raring to go this Sunday for the Monday evening Christmas Show recording. Two nights booked at the IBIS! Layers ready and camping chairs dusted off! From last year’s blog it seems that “early birding” is necessary for the Christmas Special as well, in the same way as for the normal Saturday show. Does anyone have any experiences of earlier Christmas shows regarding queue forming, show format etc??

24 November 2016 at 18:59

14 November 2016 at 16:21

Hello, I have been lucky enough to get tickets for Saturday 3rd December but it is looking very unlikely that I will make it. I am so disappointed!!! I called the BBC today and they are happy for me to transfer my tickets to a different name so I am hoping they don’t go to waste……now I might upset some family/friends by choosing who gets to use the tickets!

Thanks for all the information on this blog. It is so helpful.

15 November 2016 at 11:07

Can I just ask anyone who’s been this year if your Id was checked? A mate has tickets and she can’t go, so I’m hoping to go, fingers crossed! Ta muchly in advance xxx

15 November 2016 at 16:05

I went on Saturday, thoroughly enjoyed the show…not so the waiting in the rain from 2.30 in the morning, although it didnt start raining till 6.00am When they validate the tickets, its just a case of scanning your ticket and putting a number sticker on….so no id necessary

29 November 2016 at 15:37

Karen what number ticket where you ??

where there many there at 2.30am

Many thanks Laura

29 November 2016 at 19:24

Hi Laura… daughter and I got there at 2.30 and we were 9th and 10th in the queue. The first lady was there at 12.30!

29 November 2016 at 20:09

BBC you should hang your heads in shame at the way the Licence Paying Public are treated by you. Please put them first

26 November 2016 at 10:05

I went on 5th November No ID check

15 November 2016 at 20:42

I have been given tickets by my friend who cannot attend , sooooo excited as been trying since the very start and not ever got any !! Will I need ID as they won’t be in my name and also my 14 year old daughter is coming with me , apart from a birth certificate I don’t have any other ID for her will they ask?

16 November 2016 at 08:39

By the sound of it Paula, you should be OK, but defo take something for your daughter! I’m not sure what they could expect to see… Maybe call and ask the helpline? What a lovely friend you have!

16 November 2016 at 18:12

Hello all. I can not believe I am writing this but I have got tickets for the final! Do you think the queuing will be any worse than normal? X

17 November 2016 at 20:46

Wow! Well done you! I can’t imagine so. Any other views?

25 November 2016 at 11:33

Ok. So I just want to put this out here and see what others think. (I apologise in advance but I’m not sure where else to post this!) After winning the golden tickets and using this very helpful blog my elderly mother and I set off for the ‘Big Smoke’. Two flights from Edinburgh, two nights in a hotel, a taxi from Luton (the trains were off!) and we were there! Getting up at 4am and joining the queue was exciting and great fun, if the wait was a bit cold and long we didn’t mind we were sure it would be worth it. Tickets 49 & 50 were secured and the excitement built, we would have good seats and all the expense and the queuing would be worth it. We arrived back at the studio and mostly the audience is courteous and we file in to get our seats. 8 rows back! I was dumbstruck and so disappointed. Can others tell me what they thought? I didn’t expect a ringside seat but to have 5/6 rows of ‘invited guests’ as well as all the prime corner seats for ‘guests’ then the rest of us allocated in blocks just didn’t make sense to me. Why can’t this be allocated on numbered seats like any normal theatre? And how many guests is reasonable for the BBC to allocate? (I’m pretty sure that more than half of the ground floor was taken up by guests.) I’m not saying that anyone shouldn’t go, it was still a great experience, but the expectation should be managed better. I’ve written to the BBC to see if I can get the figures etc but not sure how far I’ll get. Anyone else feel the same?

29 November 2016 at 17:22

I have similar mixed views to Heather! We were excited to get tickets for the pre-recording of the Christmas Day Special for last night 28th November (not telling you who won!). We decided to book in for two nights at the Ibis which is so convenient. Not many of the earlier bloggers have described how the one off Special might differ from the normal competition shows so we were not really sure whether the queues etc would be any different. However, we decided to have a moderately early start and joined the queue of vagrants and huddled bodies about 5.20am complete with our folding chairs and flask of hot coffee (it was around 5deg!) The earliest bird in the silly o’clock queue had arrived at 2.30am! . There were around 30 or so happy campers ahead of us so we reckoned we would get tickets in the mid 40s as some were queueing solo for their absent partners. We were really pleased to get stickers for seat nos 45 and 46 on validation at 9.15am. We were asked to return at 3 .45pm and were led into the marquee at around 4.00pm where we deposited our coats and those that had brought them, handed in their mobiles and large bags. After some trivia questions from one of the studio audience management team to help while away the time, we eventually got into the studio at 6pm! As this was a recorded show the timing was rather vague and we were told that the delay was because rehearsals were still in progress. The first 24 in the queue went in first and were seated in the best seats opposite the band. We were asked to line up in strict numerical order and were in the next “tranche” of 25 to 50 so we anticipated getting reasonably good seats. A couple we had been chatting to, who had nos 34 and 35, got seats at the end of the front and second row to the right of the judges which is the prime spot for being seen on the “telly”! However we were led to six rows back, behind two rows of “guests of the crew”. When these people came in and sat down they all seemed to be really healthy eaters with large frames almost totally obscuring the dance floor. My secret weapon of a small blow up cushion which helped to raise me up a couple of inches which helped. As others have mentioned the seats are very close together and butt cheeks definitely abut! Particularly so in my case as I was right in the middle! So we were a little peeved that, despite our early start, we had partially obscured views. This did not detract too much from the night’s entertainment even after repeated takes of some of the linking segments and being asked by the warm up man to clap, first vigorously, then quietly, cheer loudly, cheer and cap together and all various combinations which no doubt will be edited in to the final product or not as the case may be. Tess and Claudia were fun and Tess in particular works hard to check out her linking chat lines in advance of the real recording with the teleprompter. The recording took until about 10.45pm, with quite a number of retakes and several scene shifts of the very elaborate scenery. (Can’t say too much more!). The warm up man kept us amused throughout with jokes and silly games. It was great to see nearly all the current cast (including some of those already knocked out) and the highlight was when the warm up man persuaded Ed Balls to reprise his Gangnam Style dance with Katya! Hilarious!! In our case the Kitkat and boxed drink came very close to the end of the evening and we certainly needed it as it was very warm in the studio. When we finally snaked our way out (Disneyland style) to collect our coats the audience management crew were terrific in making this process run as promptly as possible. A really long day, interesting experience and probably a bit different from the weekly programme as Tess mentioned several times “that wouldn’t happen for the live show!”

29 November 2016 at 18:30

Hi Heather Unfortunately the seating isn’t fair, but the BBC will just say it is free. I queued from 6am got seats at back on ground floor but then swapped to front seats for the Sunday show . Wonderful for us but others on the row next to us stayed at the back. They needed us to swop so it looked like a different audience for the following day. It really is pot luck and I certainly wouldn’t queue that early. Hope you still enjoyed it , I would go again if ever lucky enough. Fabulous night

29 November 2016 at 12:35

Beyond excited to get tickets for the final but after reading all these comments about having to queue from 2am I’m not so sure ! No doubt as its the final the queue will start even earlier – also wondering if there will be less audience seats as there will be more guests for celebrities etc. – Don’t know what to do now – HELP !!!!

29 November 2016 at 19:37

if its anything like the show we went to Remembrance weekend, then quite possible. Obviously seats reserved for Service men and Women, rightly so… but didnt think it fair that ‘Production’ had better seating than the ones that had queued all night long… like me! As I have mentioned in previous posts, daughter and I got there at 2.30am, the first lady got there at 12.30… the time does actually go quickly, we made new friends and had a fun time… it is all part of the experience after all! Have said I wouldnt do it again…but…. getting that email saying Congratulations… I probably would!

29 November 2016 at 19:48

Hi It is about time more people spoke up about the way the BBC treat their audience. Yes the show is probably great to watch in the Studio but please tell the truth about the way you are treated before even getting in. As I have said before without the audience the show would be a bit dull. It may be free but the Public are paying for it through their TV Licence. The BBC should not treat people like cattle. It is about time they tried a different method of allocating tickets beforehand. Paid more attention to those that make up most of the audience and less attention to the staff and so called celebrity guests.

29 November 2016 at 20:35

Well done Arthur .You are right .Its a great experience but licence payers should be treated with respect.The BBC are typical of today’s political elite .Look after your mates and who cares about the peasants.

29 November 2016 at 21:20

Yes guys there has to be a ‘better’ way of allocating/validating tickets – we were so excited when we received the ‘Congratulations ‘ text but after reading people waiting outside in the winter weather from 2am the sparkle and glamour has gone a bit dull !!!

30 November 2016 at 14:30

Ah, but read all the comments that say it’s worth it. You will dine out on it for ages. And you don’t have to be there at 02:30… I wouldn’t! It is an incredible experience.

30 November 2016 at 17:59

I queued from 6am plenty of people behind me and all got in . Don’t miss it , it’s an experience never forgotten.

30 November 2016 at 09:36

Well said Arthur…totally agree. If they want production let them go to just the one show, and thats it. When I was there, some of the Production had a coloured bracelet on, which then entitled them to go to the Hospitality tent and ‘mingle’. Warm up guy said those without bracelets … Tesco’s is around the corner! Where we were sat, couldnt really see the dancing as such, had to rely on the tv screen. Can you imagine the faces on the production staff if they sat where the Great British Public sat. Got home the following day and watched the show from the comfort of my chair! But it is the fact you are there, in the studio soaking up all the Strictly atmosphere.

30 November 2016 at 14:33

I still don’t regret going. Does anyone? The best view of the dancing is on your sofa (unless you’re in the front row, or the judge’s seat), because you can’t see their feet. BUT, it is a privilege to be lucky enough to go at all. It’s the whole experience, the atmosphere. I’ve almost forgotten craning to see feet, my numb bum… Loved it.

Hi I have to say it was very interesting to see how the show was produced. However we sat opposite the Judges and behind the many rows of Staff and Guests. All we could see most of the time was the top half of the dancers. Pointless trying to judge how the dance went as we could not see the feet most of the time. As for atmosphere that is whipped up by the Compere a lot of the time and is false as is the booing of the Judges comments and scoring. Much better to view it from the comfort of your armchair

30 November 2016 at 18:42

That’s a shame, I met Anton at the end by staying in our seats when everyone else was going home. We enjoyed the compère, yes we were all told to clap and boo etc but all good fun.

30 November 2016 at 13:33

So after a wee email to BBC I was given the brush off! In response to asking how many tickets were allocated to ‘guests’ the reply:

I am sorry to hear you were unhappy with the allocation of seats during the recording.

A small number of tickets are allocated to the friends and families of those participating in the show, this is to ensure that each dancer or talent have support at the end of a gruelling weeks training during the live Saturday night show. Having that support offers them a huge morale boost but these tickets are strictly limited and reviewed each week….

I am very sorry but the week we attended I would put a conservative guess of the ‘guests’ being at least 1/3 of the audience rather than ‘a small number’.

Maybe we just hit a bad week, what does everyone else think?

I’m hoping maybe if we all send off we emails the other fans that get out there and bag a good number get good seats!!

30 November 2016 at 14:36

Interesting, but at least you got something. It’s a campaign I won’t join in with personally. I’ll stay in the deluded glitter!

30 November 2016 at 14:53

First in the queue for 26/11/16 at 3am and the security guard and the BBC ticket validation people said this was late! as most weeks it is earlier so we were lucky, but it was cold. No ID check requested. Seat 1 to 30 opposite the bandstand although unable to stand to clap as boom overhead at all times, great seats but small. Toilet facilities not enough for so many people during the interval,even the celebs and friends have to use these. It was a wonderful experience to go and to get a golden ticket. Although after 11 years of applying we felt like cattle being herded , surely in this day and age tickets could be issued to be fair to all people It was useful to find Maxwell Road in the daylight,so that we were aware of where to queue in the dark Inside the holding Marque the BBC should follow Disney and make a more reasonable queuing system as it was bedlam at times prior to the show. Thank you for the website it really helped us prepare for our day and nighttime Strictly experience

30 November 2016 at 18:20

Glad to be of Strictly-service!

30 November 2016 at 15:31

Hello WHAT a fab blog accompanied by excellent comments/advice. Thank you. I guess some might hate me when I say we have been mentally lucky enough to get tickets to THE Final!!! We are made up! Slight downside is I have just had a total knee replacement (2 weeks ago!) and we live in Devon and we are at my works do on the Friday night so staying on Friday is not an option. Its fair to say it is going to be a long arduous but yes exciting day. Some might say don’t go but we will be going even if my leg is hanging off. The advice so far is/will be very very useful but looks like we will have to leave home by 4.00am OR straight from the Christmas do . My main question is have any of you been to a Final? I am guessing even more production tickets will be taken up so is it even more important to get in validation queue earlier? Given that the show and results will be on the same night how does it all differ from other weeks? Difficult I know but any other thoughts/advice gratefully received.

30 November 2016 at 18:22

Thanks Andy! I shouldn’t be talking to you, of course. FINAL?! Harrumph! I’m sure someone will step forwards with a reply to help you out…

2 December 2016 at 07:51

Am I glad I found this blog! Thank you Julia, and everyone who has put all this brilliant information on here. I’ve got the notification through that I’ve got tickets lined up for the final. I’ve booked into the Ibis for two nights, got my travel arrangements sorted, and had a good read through to figure out the practicalities about queuing times and where the gate is. Still a bit unsure about those to be honest. With queuing times, can anyone who’s been to a previous final say what time they queued from and what number they got? I’m slightly worried that it will be a busy one with fewer seats for the public, but that might just be nerves.

As for where the gate is, I looked on google maps, and went to street view. On Maxwell Road, I noticed a road entrance with a side gate not far down. However, this wasn’t the end of the road, and there was no park, so I suspect there may be another entrance further down, but the google map street view wouldn’t let me go further down the road to find out.

Hope someone can give a bit more info, if not, I’m sure I’ll figure it out thanks to what I’ve already picked up on here. I’ll be back on here after the show to let you know how it went, and hopefully add to the pool of knowledge for next year.

2 December 2016 at 09:57

Ah, Craig, I’m sure you’ll work it out too. There are many before you that have found it! Coincidentally, Craig sent some photos to me to upload, but I can’t find them. It’s been a tricky few months with family stuff, so I’m not ‘on it’. Goodness knows when normal service will resume.

2 December 2016 at 10:34

Hi Julia. Do you want me to resend the photos? If so I will do it later today.

2 December 2016 at 15:36

Hello original Craig. Thank you for replying – but I think Craig should be OK. I’m a bit buried too – but if there is a petition to see them, I’ll try and find time to post them.

2 December 2016 at 11:10

I was really bothered about finding the gate…but dont worry, you will be fine. My fear was queuing up outside the wrong gate! Just go up Maxwell road , you will see some flats on the left … a long path ahead of you (where everyone queues) and the gate is to the right. I found it on google maps, but went on Earth in the bottom left hand corner of map….you can clearly see the Community centre and car park, the gate is to the left of that… hope that helps.

2 December 2016 at 15:35

Thanks Karen!

2 December 2016 at 15:43

Karen, You can’t miss the gate. The TV audience crew put very clear signs out all the way down Maxwell Road as well as large rubbish bags in anticipation! You will also find some hardy soles who have been queuing since silly o’clock ( to coin a Julia phrase!) probably 1 or 2am!! Happy queueing! Take chairs, duvets, flasks etc although MacDonalds and Petrol stations are open all night for early breakfast!

5 January 2017 at 12:23

Well, that’s Christmas out of the way, time to let everyone know what it was like being part of the audience for this year’s final. In a word? Spectacular! Firstly, many thanks to everyone who has posted on here. The info was really useful in arranging our trip, and giving us an idea of what to expect. We stayed at the IBIS, literally over the road from the studios, and we had a bit time to scout around the night before. I meant to get down to Maxwell Road for around 5:30am, but I couldn’t sleep, and so it was shortly after 4:30 that I found myself walking through the fog to find the gate and the queue. You can’t miss it. You go to the end of Maxwell Road, past the barrier and the gate is there, with the queue going along the path of the park. Time flew by, and it was great to chat away with lots of people who were equally excited about the day ahead. It was cold, foggy and dark, but it was fun. By the time it got a bit light, we still couldn’t see the end of the queue thanks to the fog, but we were told there were around 450 people in it. When 9.00 came, out came the staff, and they were really good. They walked along the queue, telling us what time to be back (2.30pm), telling us that we’d get into the studio at around 3.40pm, letting us know that we should bring snacks and screw top, unopened drinks, and answering any questions. Ticket validated, then with a huge smile on my face, it was back to the IBIS for a nap. To give you some idea of what time to arrive, a group of us arrived within 10 minutes of each other, just after 4.30, and our numbers were all in the 90s. In reality, we could have got there after 6.00 and still have got a ticket. When 2.30 came, we were back at the gate, and soon enough, we were let through in groups, into the marquee. When I read about the marquee on here, I had visions of a cold tent-like structure. Its nothing like that. It was like a huge room – bright, heated with a bar inside, tvs on the walls showing bits of strictly, as well as plenty of seats. Unfortunately the photo thing wasn’t working, but that wasn’t an issue for us really. Everyone was glammed up to the hilt, and the atmosphere was exciting. Then time to go into the studio. This bit wasn’t so good. They called the first lot of numbers forward, any everyone got to their feet and crowded the area. Then nothing happened. A while later, we were told that there had been a problem with some equipment and they needed to get that sorted. It probably wasn’t that long, but with everyone buzzing, wanting to see what awaited them, it felt like a lifetime. Then our numbers were called and we were on our way. Us lot with tickets in the 90s were seated right behind the judges. A great view, although the seats meant that I pitied anyone at the end of a row, or sat beside anyone of above average girth. What really surprised me was how small the dancers look. Of course, Janette looks tiny, but Karen and Oti are so petite too. Even Pasha and AJ were smaller than I thought. Then lights, camera, action. Certainly not how I imagined it, but fascinating. I didn’t realise just how much is pre-recorded, and I certainly never expected the number of re-takes. Even Emeli Sande had to do her song again, due to something the production team weren’t happy with. The big dance routine also needed another take, with the dancers being shown what they did wrong before hitting the floor again. Len was great. He is so engaging, and he looks as fit as a fiddle in real life. In fact so many of them were really nice, chatting away with the audience and really making the occasion. Whilst the view may be better on TV, you don’t get the sense of perspective, nor some of the energy and rhythm of the dances. When I watched it back, I realised that they focus so much on individual couples in the group dances that they lose some of the magic of the wider spectacle. It also some of the magic of Danny and Oti’s dance with the mirror sequence. We saw that face on, and it gave me goosebumps. The passion the energy and the synchronisation as they moved were jaw dropping. On TV it was filmed side-on, and it didn’t come across as well. A well deserved win for Ore and Joanne though, and where did all that time go? Nearly 7 hours and it absolutely flew! For anyone thinking of going to the final next year, DO NOT GO! WATCH IT ON TV! That way, I might just be lucky enough to get there a second time 😉

5 January 2017 at 15:40

Haha! I thought it was the best final in a while. You lucky, lucky people! I really miss all the sparkle and glamour. January feels quite dark without Strictly. Thank you for sharing. All the best for 2017!

3 December 2016 at 19:18

Hi Julia and All Thanks for this fantastic blog! Going to Strictly next week and wondered how far the gates are from the IBIS? I have a Christmas Do on the Friday and we are driving down straight after from Leeds, having a couple of hours sleep in the IBIS hopefully and then getting up to queue at 5am – hoping this will be early enough but wondered, can I walk to the queue gates from the IBIS? Thanks in advance for your help.

5 December 2016 at 17:50

Lucky Lucy! I have no idea, but someone will tell you. What a weekend you’re going to have. Safe travels! X

5 December 2016 at 18:03

Easy Peasey! The gate is about 5 mins walk from the IBIS! Have great time!

5 December 2016 at 12:22

I got a text on Thursday saying I got tickets to the semi final! Checked my email and there they were, but was lucky to be there two years ago the week before the quarter finals but was my Mum’s allocation and last time validation was 12pm now I see it is 9am. I see that a great number of people above have queued from at least 5am, I wasn’t planning to get there until maybe 8am as we only live just over an hour away and can’t go the night before and stay in a hotel as I am at a christmas party with the hubby! Not entirely fussed about seats on the ground as last time we were front row in the balcony by the stairs opp judges and thought the seats were great, I think our ticket numbers were around the 320 mark. So my question is what time would you suggest we aim to queue for?

5 December 2016 at 17:53

Oh Emma! Lucky, lucky you! I know, when I was there it was noon – can you imagine silly o’clock? Ooh. I’d go for as early as you can manage, but 08:00 you might be chancing it. That extra hour for 07:00 might make a Strictly world of difference – any suggestions, peeps?

9 December 2016 at 14:17

My husband and I are driving down to the Ibis hotel tonight as I recieved a text followed by an email to say that my application for tickets for tomorrows show has been successful! I’m super excited as I have been trying to get tickets for many years. We are driving all the way from East Riding of Yorkshire and I am even missing my works night out tomorrow (which I have paid for and was looking forward to) for it, so I do hope we manage to get in.

14 December 2016 at 11:13

I went to the semi-final on Saturday… AMAZING. Literally the best thing I have ever been to. I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop telling everyone about it.

When I first got the email, I like many others, were considering whether or not to go – I can’t believe I was ever in doubt!

I said that myself and my girlfriend should join the queue as soon as someone else did – I didn’t want to be first! Unfortunately, when I walked across to check at 11.30pm, somebody was already there… We joined at midnight, 3 people in front of us, and it actually went very quickly. Everyone is in high spirits and has a good chat and furthermore, we were lucky; it was mild and pretty much dry.

The Tesco nearby is handy and the staff at the Ibis over the road (where we stayed) were incredible. It made the queuing even more comfortable.

In terms of queuing times, another man arrived at midnight with me, but the next couple didn’t arrive until 2am. The queue was still relatively short at 4am and started to lengthen after that. A steady stream of people arrived between 6 and 7 and there were still people arriving at 9. To my knowledge, everybody got in. However, having spoken to a security guard, missing out on entry is a distinct possibility so getting in line as early as possible is preferable. Based on my experience, I wouldn’t arrive any later than 7 – better safe than sorry.

As soon as 9am arrived, tickets were validated immediately, no ID required, and we were back in the hotel by 9.05. A quick and efficient process. We had tickets 7 & 8 – GET IN! Front row, opposite the band, next to the stairs. Having looked around the studio, there isn’t really a bad seat, but as a general rule of thumb, the lower your number, the better your seat.

I’ve seen some people complaining about the return to the studio before the show – I thought this was fine. A relaxed environment, reasonably priced bar, toilets and excitement!

The whole show is incredible. I’d advise anyone with any doubts that they really should GO!

I know we’ve nearly reached the end of the series, but if anyone has any questions, i’ll happily help.

5 January 2017 at 14:22

My husband and I were lucky to get tickets for the quarter final and made the decision to travel from Northern Ireland to attend. It really was worth it! Luton is the nearest airport with convenient rail links to Elstree and London. The queuing location is very easy to find as there are a few sign posts to the queuing location which is just across the road from the Ibis. You cannot miss the gates. I would recommend booking the Ibis as soon as you make the decision to go as it is the most convenient location for the studios and it gets booked up very quickly. The rooms are comfortable and the staff very helpful. As mentioned there is a Tesco close buy where we were lucky enough to buy a foldable chair to sit on whilst queuing for tickets. My husband joined the queue at around 5:30am and there was about 60 people in front of him. I then relieved him at 7am. The nearby McDonalds opens at 7am where you can buy coffee and snacks. Tickets were validated promptly at 9am and we were both then free to go back to our hotel to relax. Our tickets were numbers 87 and 88. These numbers relate to the order in which we were called into the studio and not our seats. We returned to the studio around 4pm. There is a long queue to hand in mobiles and a separate long queue for coats. It is best to leave your mobile in the hotel and coat if not required to avoid the long queues for drop off and collection. There is a bar and some snacks available. Warm up games are played. We were then called into the studio by our allocated numbers and shown to our seats. Seating seems to be totally random as people with hospitality bracelets were beside us and the people behind us in the morning queue were at the opposite side of the dance floor. We were placed at the stairs to the left of the stage and had a great view and were able to chat to the dancers and judges as they waited to go on stage. The first 30 in the morning queue are seated at the end of the dance floor opposite the band. The atmosphere is electric and I would encourage anyone to go! Half way through you are given a four bar kit kat and carton of juice. I would also mention that the studio is (surprisingly) quite cold and the toilets are few and smaller than the toilets on an aeroplane. Enjoy if you are lucky enough to get tickets. We certainly did!!

5 January 2017 at 15:42

No traffic in a while, and then two come in at once! Thank you for taking the trouble to post – and bring me a sprinkling of glitter! Happy New Year!

26 August 2017 at 18:27

Hi Julia, I’m one of the lucky ones. Going to the 1st show, the Launch Show, which is when the couples get chosen. To say excited is the understatement. My friend and I call each other, then sing, the theme tune! Da da da da da dadah, da da da da da I have taken all the advice on board. Only problem is we’re staying at the travelodge as we are driving up, it has free parking. So a bit of a walk. Off to see Mowtown on Monday and Tuesday 5th Sep,2017 we hope to join the que by 6.30? I’ll get back with the latest info on id queues etc.

6 September 2017 at 13:42

Super sorry not to release this before, but I’ve been away on hols and then buried in a wedding at the weekend… just emerging! Would love any follow up! It’s time to sprinkle the Strictly sparkly dust again!

6 September 2017 at 21:48

Oh what a night! This blog really helped. The 1st people in the queue, arrived at 4 a.m. They were given a prize, and the 1st 20 people had ringside seats. We stayed at the travel lodge studio drive, with the Toby Carvery ( you need good fill of food it’s a long day) on leaving the hotel 6.30 it’s a 15 min walk to the Maxwell Road entry. It’s a galvanised gate , by a park. The queue was about 100 people. We had our chairs and had lots of fun nattering to lots of other Strictlyist. It was 9.30 before we were authenticated. We had numbers 96/97. Off we went to eat and pamper. Taxi’s in Elstree are cheap. £3.50 local, by a firm called AAA. So a ride back to the queue for 3.p.m. 20 mins later our tickets checked again and metal detected. Only unopened bottles of water allowed in. There are toilets! There are chairs, a photo booth, but don’t queue again, we waited and got ours done, when only a couple of people were waiting, about 1 1/2 hours in. There is a bar with crisps etc, and alcohol and soft drinks. Oh and a BBC stand selling merchandise. We were kept waiting until 6p.m. Technical problems were given for the delay. As it was the 1st show it was all recorded. Early numbers give the best seats. We were next to the entrance stairs and the band. It allowed us to chat to Claudia and Tess who said ” you look fabulous ladie” Shirley Ballas who was really sweet, Graig, Aliaz was wonderful and signed a couple of autographs. Being up close and personal, it was worth the early start. As has been stated, not all the seats were taken and they were asking at the local tescos if anyone wanted to be in the audience. So don’t panic if you can’t do the keen early start. The show was fantastic. As it’s recorded, we had to do a lot of clapping and standing, but watching dancing twice, was no hardship. We had the orange juice and kit kart, to stop us flagging. We finished at 11.30. The recorded shows are different. What an amazing night. We have made new friends, seeing last years winners an added bonus. I will be dinning out on this once in a lifetime experience. I will apply again next year. Between 3.5 and 5 million people apply. I hope if your reading this, you like me are one of the lucky ones. As my new queue Strictlyist said, best day of her life after her wedding day. If your going enjoy, once in the sacred hall ( George Lucas stage) you enter a glittering heaven. My new friends and I kept getting stuck together, sequins and lace, are like velcros. Fab u lus!

7 September 2017 at 13:42

I so love the Strictly love! It really brings it to life for me. Thank you so much for taking the time to update us all. It was a mid-week recording, wasn’t it? I wonder if that made a difference to the queueing and the need to pull shoppers from Tesco! I personally wouldn’t rely on it, but I’m not a last-minute merchant. Can’t wait for the show on Saturday!

6 September 2017 at 13:33

Just got back from the 2017 launch show. The queue started early as predicted here, but turning up at 9am would’ve been fine – there were about 300 there by that point. In fact our original plan to turn up at 11am would been fine because at 11.15am I got a text message saying there was still space in the studio, and apparently they went on to invite locals on some last-minute studio-filling mailing list.

There were ID checks at both validation and entry, but they were just looking for photo ID that matched the name on the ticket. I’m not sure they were even checking who was in the photo, and they certainly didn’t check all of the people attending with the ticket holders.

6 September 2017 at 13:45

Hi Rick… you lucky chap you! I can’t wait until Saturday to see it! Dying to know who is paired with who…. BUT! No spoilers allowed, again, throughout the series on this blog! Thanks for taking the time to update on the latest in the queue-to-queue!

24 September 2017 at 20:39

Thanks to everyone who has commented on this thread – I attended last night’s show and the info on here was invaluable. We arrived to validate our tickets at 5am and it was fine. Brought chairs and sleeping bags and even managed to get a couple of hours kip in! We got 35 and 36 and we were sat 5 rows back on the block to the right (when looked at on tv) of the judges – absolutely perfect. As soon as you arrive at the holding marquee you give in your phone and coat. You can’t bring food and drink (apart from sealed water) but there is a bar in the marquee selling sandwiches and wine and beer. As others have said, you’re called in in batches (I think that was about 5ish but not sure as I use my phone for a watch!). You can go to the toilet during the show, you just need to time it so it’s during the VTs and there are plenty of them. I found it very warm but it is still only September and was a very mild day so maybe the studio gets colder in winter. The queue for phones at the end took about 3 mins maximum and the coats not much longer. All the staff were lovely and answer any questions you may have. It was an absolutely amazing day/night, I hope people aren’t put off by the validation process. There were still people turning up at 9am and I believe everyone got in. I hope this info is useful 🙂

25 September 2017 at 17:05

Thanks Amy for taking the time to update us all! I can’t believe it’s all about the glitter from now on! Glad to be of Strictly Public Broadcast!

25 September 2017 at 15:59

We had tickets for the first full show of the 2017 season last Saturday 23 September. We found this site very helpful in making our plans so I thought I would add my own thoughts as some things may have changed.

Firstly, as soon as you get the notification that you have won tickets book your hotel. The closest is the Ibis and we stayed there for 2 nights for £110, (breakfast extra but we ate elsewhere). The place to queue is in Maxwell Road which is next to the fire station and almost opposite the Ibis so 5 minutes slow walk to get there. I suggest you take a walk there before it gets dark so you know where to go – at the end of the street is a small car park serving a community centre and on the right is a pair of silver security gates which is the place to be. We set our alarm for 5am and after a cuppa were in the queue for 5.40am. We reckoned that there were about 150 ahead of us but were wrong (see later). Be prepared – take folding camping chairs, blankets, golf umbrella, food and hot drinks. We were lucky that it was mild weekend but the weather won’t always be like that as the autumn progresses. I didn’t see any tents but there is no reason why you shouldn’t take one, there is a grass verge next to the path. There are some small signs attached to railings in Maxwell Road but basically you queue away from the road along a footpath alongside a football field. We saw no security or police but there were no problems. The time does pass fairly quickly as you inevitably get into conversation with others in the queue and of course you all have something in common! Hot drinks and fast food is available from two petrol stations, Costa within a large Tesco, MacDonald’s, etc. Shortly after 9.00am the gates opened and several BBC staff came out for the ‘validation’ process, which involved one person checking photo ID and another issuing coloured and numbered stickers. Other staff moved down the queue answering questions. We were given numbers 67 and 68 so the early start was worth it. We were told to return at 3.00pm with ID and the stickers. This time we queued for a few minutes before being let into the waiting area. ID was checked again, handbags searched, body search, mobile phones and coats handed in. The marquee is quite large with just about enough seats bearing in mind that there is a constant queue for the photo booth and the bar. You are allowed one unopened 500ml bottle of water each and you can buy these from the bar. There is also a very small ‘shop’ selling the usual merchandise at expensive prices -e.g.. Strictly T-shirt for 5 year old = £11.99. There is ‘compere’ with updates, Strictly quiz, etc. You are called through in numerical order, so the earlier you get in the morning queue the lower your number and the better your seat – that’s fair. I won’t say anything about what’s happens from this point so as not to spoil your experience. Top tips: 1. Book hotel early. Ibis is functional but quiet and reasonably priced and only 5 minutes from the venue 2. Be in the morning queue early – the lady who got ticket #1 started the queue at 1.50am! 3. Manage your day. Get some sleep and a decent early lunch as you will need to be glammed up and back at the venue for 3pm 4. Photo ID was checked 3 times during the whole process. 4. Embrace the day. As a dutiful husband I decided to make the most of it and join in as to be otherwise would have meant a very, very long day. And I did enjoy it. And if you do get bored, just think how you are going to redeem all those Brownie points you have earned…

25 September 2017 at 17:08

Oh Keith, that is hilarious! There would be people biting your arm for a chance for the golden ticket… really appreciate your views, and interesting that ID is now being checked. I kinda get that, as the whole world has gone a bit wonky really…

10 October 2017 at 17:38

Hello! Is it everyone that’s attending that needs photo ID or just the ticket holder? Thanks

10 October 2017 at 17:35

Hello! Great blog post! Do you know if it’s just the person whose name the tickets are in that needs to take photo ID or is it everyone that’s attending that needs to take photo ID?

15 October 2017 at 17:38

Sorry, hugely, for the delay in putting this up. I’ve been consumed, and rather shamefully, haven’t managed to watch my beloved Zoe once! I think it’s just the name on the ticket, but I may be wrong. There’s no other reference that would really make sense… Hopefully someone gives you a better response, and I promise (hand-on-heart) to be quicker to respond.

16 October 2017 at 09:58

Jennifer, check your invitation letter but I took photo ID for everyone attending and it was checked 3 times.

17 October 2017 at 08:34

This has been a great help as i have tickets for the 28th ! I was wondering if there was parking at the studios for the early queue start or am I better parking in the Ibis ?

17 October 2017 at 12:08

Lucky you, Mary! Will that be the Hallowe’en weekend show? I don’t think that there’s any parking at the studio (although my experience is clearly dated!), but I’m sure someone will answer. Do let us all know how you got on…

17 October 2017 at 17:42

There is a guest car park behind the Ibis for about 30 cars, if not there is a huge public car park there. No need to lose your space either as the walk from Ibis to queue is 5 mins max and into town for shops/ eating about 10 mins stroll. Try Turkish establishments, good food, prices and atmosphere .

21 October 2017 at 21:17

Why do the audience have to scream during applauding an act that has just finished. I refer to every episode of Strictly Come Dancing. The response from the competitors is way over the top . As far as my wife and I are concerned, such behaviour by the other competitors spoils the programme for us. Surely, applause can be shown in the normal way.

28 October 2017 at 17:32

Hello, I know what you mean, but the warm-up people really harrang the audience to yell and scream. We were certainly told off for not being loud enough. I have no idea why they think that, but they do. It used to drive me nuts the clapping in the songs, but at least that seems to have stopped….

25 October 2017 at 20:05

What a great blog post! We’ve got tickets for the 11th November and I think it’s going to kill me to wait that long !! We are booked into the IBIS for two nights and thanks to the information here, I’m all prepared for an early start to get in the queue. My question though, my husband is a wheelchair user. Does anyone know where, in the studio, the wheelchair users sit? I understand that there are only 10 spaces available, but I was wondering where they are. Will this take away the need to be quite so early in the validation queue? It would be fabulous if there is a wheelchair user who reads this and can feedback on their experience.

28 October 2017 at 17:28

Hi Susan, well, I hope that someone answers your question. I have a feeling it might be up near the band (where folks aren’t allowed to stand due to camera angles) but as it’s soooooo long (sigh) since I was there, I wouldn’t trust my memory. Do let us know how you get on! x

28 October 2017 at 18:11

I will certainly let everyone know how we get on and hopefully it will help other wheelchair users. So far, we’ve called the number supplied and been told to contact security on the day and they will sort us out. This isn’t secure enough for me though and I’ll be queueing with every one else lol. Just to make sure. # I’d hate to get to the door and be told that we couldn’t get in. my problem is that I can’t leave hubby for long to be in the queue. We’ll sort something out though.

28 October 2017 at 18:15

I’m sure some amazing Strictly-lovelies around you will look after you both. Sending a wish for kind November weather!

3 November 2017 at 08:06

We were near the front of the queue a few weeks ago. As long as you outlined the wheelchair requirement on the BBC form when you applied, you should be allocated. In your case, I am not sure if queuing at stupid o’clock makes any sense, but I can understand you not wanting to leave that to chance. At 3pm on the day, wheelchair users and others needing assistance were gathered near the Maxwell Road gate. You will also be ushered to the studio access in the marquee before others are taken in. Wheelchair users are given seats behind the cameras on a raised platform, facing the Strictly arch and the band. You won’t be seen on TV, but the view will be okay.

3 November 2017 at 11:16

What a lovely, considered reply. Thank you for sharing your experience..

3 November 2017 at 11:45

Thank you so much Neil. We have been in touch with the staff and arrangements have been put in place for us. We still have to go to have our tickets validated, but don’t need to go at supid o’clock. I’ll report back as to how we got on. Your info on where we will be sat Is so helpful…we aren’t worried about being on TV LOL

26 October 2017 at 17:47

Hi great blog thank you. We went a few weeks ago I just want to say that we arrived from Manchester on the early train and so only got in the queue at 8.50. People queued from 12.30 am! We were absolutely fine getting in so don’t worry about getting turned away, for anyone worrying. We were 327 and 328 and we’re above the judges by the stairs so had a great view of the dancers before and after the dances, they were getting their final make up checks by us and were very friendly. I think that you may be able to see feet better during the dances from above anyway. We had a great time, long day but we’ll worth it. Enjoy!

28 October 2017 at 17:35

Sue, really glad that you found it useful, and as you know, it’s a collective effort. I think upstairs would be a great vantage point, and if I were to go again (like that’s going to happen), I wouldn’t care where I sat! Thank you for posting!

13 November 2017 at 05:17

What a day! Our Strictly experience was just fab-u-lous! We were fortunate enough to get tickets for Saturday 11th November. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband is a wheelchair user. We arrived about 8.30am to have our tickets validated and though there was a queue, it wasn’t as long as I’d expected and was less than 300 according to one official who had been counting. It was raining and cold but the atmosphere in the queue was great as everyone chatted to eachother. It made the time pass quickly. When our tickets were validated, we were told to return at 3pm, but to come to the front of the queue. Those with restricted mobility and other wheelchair users were taken in first and sat in the marquee in the area right beside the doors that lead into the studio. When the time came to go in, we were all taken in together before everyone else. We were very lucky to be sat in the front row opposite the band. My husband and I were on the left side of the stairs where the couples go up after receiving the judges comments. We were so close to the dancers coming and going and Tess did a couple of her introductions right in front of us. She is so gorgeous. We were told not to stand at any time as we were in front of the cameras but we had a wonderful view of everything. I did struggle sometimes to hear what the judges were saying though. I was surprised at how tiny some of the dancers are and even judge Craig isn’t as tall as I’d though he would be. As others have mentioned, the studio isn’t as large as it seems on TV. I was facinated to watch all the behind the scenes work that goes on and just how many people it takes to make the show happen. It was 10.30pm before it all finished and we got to leave. It certainly was a long day but so so worth it. For anyone else going, be prepared for the hard seats which seem to get harder as the evening progressed! But if it was a long day for us, it must have been even longer for the everyone taking part. We left our phones in the hotel and managed without coats so we could avoid the long queue at the end. We were staying in the Ibis which is only a very short walk away from the studio so we didn’t have to brave the cold for long. The studio itself wasn’t overly warm in the area we were sat and I was glad to have a cardigan to put on. What a fantastic experience the day was and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

13 November 2017 at 17:33

Oh Susan I am so thrilled for you. It sounds like you were really well looked after. And thank you so much for updating us all. You make me want to go again… Stay in the glitter! ✨✨

13 November 2017 at 16:38

My friend has got us both tickets for the Christmas special – a Monday – does anyone know if the same issues apply for validation – we have been told we need to get there for 9 – are we going to have to be there at the crack of dawn as for other shows – any help gratefully received!

13 November 2017 at 17:35

Congratulations! I’m sure someone will let you know! Do let us know how you get on x

14 November 2017 at 07:30

Hi, I’ve tickets for Blackpool this coming weekend! Has anyone is got any experiences of this from last year such as queuing and seat allocation? Any advice would be gratefully received.

14 November 2017 at 09:44

There was some brilliant advice in one of the comments, but I can’t remember which year it was. I’ll have a trawl through and see if I can find it, but in the meantime, I’m sure one of the lucky ones will help out! What a line up you’re going to see (and Kevin doing a Paso.. please don’t tell me I dreamt that!) x

14 November 2017 at 09:50

It was two years ago! How time flies.. It’s a fair scroll up the page, but was posted the end of November 2015.. Let’s hope someone can help you out.

16 November 2017 at 20:41

Me too I’ve been reading this blog for 2 hours but most of the comments ate about Elstree. From what I remember there wad s problem that Blackpool security staff confiscated all food and drink despite BBC saying water was ok. I’m going to reread all the emails as I’m still not clear whether you can leave after validation in which case youre not hanging around all day in your sparkles. If you find the blog entries for Blackpool can you highlight the dates of entries etc. Tx helen he

24 November 2017 at 11:07

BLACKPOOL 2017 I was lucky enough to get tickets for the golden queue this year. We arrived at the queue at 7.30am to find 100 plus already there. It was bitterly cold as you’re standing in basically a concrete wind tunnel so wrap up well in.layers with gloves and hats. Fortunately there’s a McDonalds 5 mins away for coffee/comfort stops. Their loos are upstairs on the left. The Tower ballroom seats 800 but between 300 to 400 seats are allocated to celebrity guests and friends of performers. So if you arrive at the queue later than 10 you may not get in. Dancers and celebs arrived between 8 and 9 so worth having one of your party on the barricades by the entrance to Blackpool Dungeon to get photos. At 9am they opened the foyer doors to allow the first 200 to queue inside. Validation of your tickets was at 10 (you get a numbered sticker on yr tickets) after showing ID for both of you. We were then told to return at 2.15 and to have a good lunch since no food allowed in Tower ballroom. We ate at Harry Ramsdens restaurant as they were giving out 30% off vouchers to queue. This turned out to be a great choice as it was spacious and had lovely loos to changing and putting on sparkles. Staff there were lovely. Then back to Tower ballroom through bag searches, photo ID and hand over all phones and electronics to sit in the Circus. If you sit by the little refreshments kiosk you’ll be closest to where you line up for the ballroom from 4pm. The kiosk sells water pringles and subrolls. Water cost £1.60. Loos are available but the queue took ages.Groups of 20 are called to line up in number order to go into the ballroom. This worked well for the first 60 with everyone shuffling into number order but when they switched to calling blocks of 50 it became s bit chaotic. So make sure you’re ready when your group.is called. There are larger loos on.the way up to the ballroom which you can pop.into after you’ve been allocated yr seats. We were 181/2 and were seated in the stalls between the judges and the Clauditorium The seats are cable tied together in rows. There was just about enough legroom and it was very cramped width wise. Although you certainly feel.in.the thick.of the action you can’t actually see any of the dancers below waist level. For the best view of the dancers you’d need to be in.the balcony looking down in.the ballroom. It was fascinating to see the filming process and how scripted the applause is etc. All.of the prerecorded pieces are recorded twice sometimes 3 times. At the interval between the Saturday and the Sunday results show we were given a couple of biscuits and a capri sun drink. Filming finally finished at 11.15 pm by which time we were very tired and thirsty. Then everyone is led out of the ballroom down one exit which led to the rear exit on.the seafront. All in all a fabulous experience but totally exhausting.

26 November 2017 at 20:43

Fab-u-lous contribution! Thank you so much. Hope you’ve recovered now, and are still very much in the glitter!

27 November 2017 at 09:27

Hi, Thanks for all the comments here, we found they gave excellent advice in advance of our trip, and we were well equipped because of that for our exciting day! We had a very similar experience to Helen last weekend in Blackpool. We got to the queue slightly earlier at 5.45am and were surprised on how few people were already there as we were 31/32 in the line. We took chairs and blankets and were surprised how quickly 4 hours can pass in the company of other like minded people! Wen we got the the ballroom we were lucky to be sitting directly opposite the judges but in the 3rd row back as the first 2 rows infront of us were reserved for friends and family of the celebrities and dancers. As Helen said, there was no chance of seeing the dancers feet but being so close to the action was amazing. We had a nice chat to a lovely couple infront of us and then were told it was Kevin Clifton’s mum and dad! We also had the celebrity guests just infront of us including Lenny Henry, Graham Norton and JK Rowling which was an experience. Peter Kay then wandered over and during the evening the dancers and celebrities came over to see friends and family. It was a long night with several re runs of the pre recorded dances and songs and by the end we had clapped so much our hands were sore but it was a brilliant evening!

25 November 2017 at 19:01

Hi so excited that we got tickets to strictly and all your advice was great thanks! I’m going with my dad and he doesn’t want to wake up too early, however i want to make the most of this great opportunity and am planning to try and wake up early and go by myself to get in line at around 6am. But the tickets are in his name so i was wondering if you knew if i could go without him and still be allowed to validate the tickets xx

Strictly community… please advise!

26 November 2017 at 22:14

Hi, I am sure he will have to be with you. However, they don’t start validating tickets until at least 9 a.m. So if he wanders across at that time, he doesn’t have to queue. They do require photo ID, of the person on the ticket. Everyone in the queue is so friendly, people won’t mind him arriving just before 9. I hope this helps. Have a great time. So if you stay at the ibis, nearest hotel. He can have his breakfast and come straight over. People were so great. Just popping to tescos for the loo, or coffee. At 6/7 am you soon become friends. Take blanket, chair and enjoy. Once validated you can go back to the hotel.

29 November 2017 at 01:28

Hi Julia and all,

What a fantastic post – the advice has been invaluable. Just got notification that I have tickets for the final (eeek!) and I’m very excited.

Just two queries – can anyone tell me what the usual dress people wear and whether it’s cold inside the studio? I had an operation recently so could do without getting a chill.

Many thanks! Mel x

29 November 2017 at 19:37

Oh wow! Lucky you… Sparkle! Sparkle! Sparkle! But take a pashmina/cardi, seems to be the advice. You’ll be seated, so arguably you can go with something comfy and then sparkly. Did I mention sparkly enough? Have an awesome time…

30 November 2017 at 16:17

Hiya Julia!

I just received an email saying I have tickets to the final (dream come true!) and you have answered loads of my queries on here so thank you very much for the post! I do have one question that was hoping you (or someone from the lovely strictly community) wouldn’t mind helping me with.

I was hoping to bring my younger sister along with me. She is 17 and the ticket says under 18s must be accompanied by a Parent or Guardian but on the BBC shows and tours website it just says under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. I wasn’t sure if me being 21 and over would constitute me being her guardian or overall responsible adult. Does anyone know how strict they are on this issue?

Thanks very much, Sophie.

5 December 2017 at 15:29

Hi Sophie, massive apologies for the delay. The website seems to have stopped sending me alerts (very dull). Goodness me. I would think that’s fine! But, isn’t there a phone number to check, just in case? I’m sure someone will sashay forth and reply too! You lucky girl you!

17 December 2017 at 11:02

Thanks for this fantastic blog and discussion. I wanted to share our experience with others, as we found all the information so helpful for planning, so here we go…

I received a text on a Tuesday 28 Nov from the BBC saying my application had been successful. Queue massive excitement as I text my mum to let her know (we both apply every year). Then we realise the date is the FINAL. Queue hysteria and frantic planning as we try to figure out if and how we can get there on Sat 16 Dec.

After some researching (thanks to your wonderful blog) we booked tickets for the Caledonian Sleeper Train from Glasgow on the Friday night. We were worried we wouldn’t arrive early enough but didn’t have any other option due to work commitments on Friday. With a spot of luck, we were awake at 6.30 when the train happened to stop at Watford Junction and so we grabbed everything and jumped off there (whether or not we were actually allowed to do that we’re still not 100% sure!). We took a taxi from there to the Elstree studios (£25) and were in the queue by 7am. It was fairly easy to spot the long line of people. We were about the 6th lamppost along, numbers 243 and 244. At the very front of the queue was a tent which had apparently been pitched at midnight, and behind them were (very cold looking) people with camping chairs and sleeping bags who had started arriving at 1.30am! It was bitterly cold and by the time validation started at 9am everyone had been back and forwards to Costa in the Tesco Extra and McDonalds for hot drinks and to use the loos. Validation went fairly quickly and we had our stickers by 9.30am. There weren’t that many behind us in the queue and so everyone who was there got in (I asked one of the staff and she told me there were 460 public tickets for the show). We heard at night that there were people who had arrived at 11am and still got in! (And there were still spare seats on the balcony.

We were told to come back at 2.45pm for the pre-records. We paid for early check in at our hotel (travelodge on Elstree way – which was reasonably priced and only a 15 min walk away) so grabbed some breakfast from Tesco before checking in, having a quick shower, changed and dominoes take away before getting a taxi back along to the studios with two other ladies we met in the hotel reception (£5). We had our ID and tickets checked, bags checked (and phone taken off you if you had it with you) and jackets checked into the free cloakroom all in the space on 5mins. We had a browse at the merchandise stand (nothing particularly exciting) and then joined the queue to get our free photobooth picture taken (you get two copies). There was also a bar selling drinks and snacks but we didn’t use it so unsure on prices etc. We just brought in a small bag, cardigan and a screw top 500ml bottle of water. It was 3.45 before they started letting people into the studio so there was quite a bit of standing/sitting about in the marquee, which was quite cool. The posh portaloos are outside down a ramp. They called up numbers 1-22 first all, then up to 50 and 100. After that they called up in blocks on 50 in fairly quick succession and it was a bit of a free for all. We ended up going in at the same time as people with sticker numbers in the 100s. We got great seats on the second row of the balcony, right in the center behind the judges and just along from the Clauditorium. Others who came in after us were getting filtered into seats downstairs and so it seems like total pot luck as where you end up seated!

Things kicked off around 5pm. The compere gave some info on how the right would run and the pros came on to warm up. The opening number was pre-recorded (they did it twice) and then the group dance (which had to be done 3 times) and only finished at 6.20pm! Tess and Claudia then came on for a quick practice of the opening (Claudia was absolutely hilarious!!) and then it was prep for going live at 6.30. We absolutely loved our seats – although we couldn’t see the judges, we could see most of the dance floor and all the pros and celebs in the clauditorium. There are some small screens on the ceiling so you can see what the audience at home see (video clips and what’s going elsewhere in the studio that you can’t see) – I’m not sure if you would be able to see them from downstairs though. As others have said, a lot of the reaction is scripted but some isn’t (Bruno falling off his chair, for example) and our hands and throats were sore from clapping and cheering by the end of the night. As we were the final, it was all finished by 9pm and we were out the studio fairly quickly afterwards. There was quite a queue for the cloakroom (as you would expect) but it went fairly quickly. We didn’t get a break during the night and so capri suns were handed out at the end. We grabbed a sandwich from Tesco and ate it walking back to our hotel – we were back by 10pm – and are now on the Sunday morning train back home to Glasgow.

I absolutely loved it and would say it’s definately worth going. It is a long and tiring day though! I’m not sure if I would go back – as it was quite a long and pricey trip for us – but I thought it was fascinating seeing how everything is done and what it’s like on screen vs real life. The only disappointment is that we didn’t get to see Ed Sheeran (it had been pre-recorded at an earlier show, so some other lucky audience must have seen two performances!).

Thanks again for the wonderful blog and to everyone who has shared there stories to help others. Until next year…

20 December 2017 at 14:28

Hi Lianne, it sounds amazing. I thought it was one of the best finals in ages.. best series in many ways too. They were all worthy finalists. My fellow-gig-rowers all wanted Joe to win, and a running friend said the same of her running buddies. Hope you’re still in the glitter, and thank you so much for sharing. I shall miss all this glittery chat! x

2 September 2018 at 07:29

I found this thread so helpful I thought I’d add my 2018 experience! I was lucky enough to receive tickets for the 2018 launch show (which is pre-recorded, so may be slightly different to the live ones). Having read lots of posts on here we decided to book the Ibis for 2 nights, which was well worth it. Ticket validation started at 9am. We decided to queue at 4.30, just to be on the safe side! There were about 20 people in front, the first had been there since 2am. I’d definitely bring a folding chair, and plenty of layers – it was 31st August and we were still really cold pre-dawn, so I can only imagine how it must feel in November! However, everyone was really friendly, and with the help of tea and a McDonalds breakfast the time went quickly. The BC staff came out just after 9am and the validation process was really efficient. Make sure you take ID! Our tickets were validated at numbers 23 and 24. However, back at the hotel later we met a couple who joined the queue at 8.30am and were still validated (tickets in the 300s) – the BBC security guard said that the queue wasn’t as long as in previous years. I wonder if that’s because the launch is filmed on a Friday and work makes it harder for people to get there. We were told to be back in the queue at 2pm, so plenty of time for a nap, lunch and dressing up! Although we were there at 2pm gates didn’t open until nearly 3pm – so if it’s later in the year I’d definitely bring a coat. Then our tickets and ID were checked again and we went into the marquee. Our bags were checked when we went in. As people have said there is a cash bar, a shop which only takes card payments, and a free photo booth. This had a long queue so if you want a photo, head there straight away! We left phones at the hotel, if not they were confiscated as soon as you entered the marquee. We were told we could bring food in, and some people had sandwiches etc – the bar sells crisps and chocolate. We were told to only take plastic screw-top bottles in, but we also had some chocolate and sweets which was fine. We were called into the studio in number order – again there was quite a delay but I imagine they are quicker when it’s live. I was so glad we queued early – our seats were amazing, (‘best in the house’ as Katie Piper said to us!) We had the most fantastic time – the studio is so small, and all the dancers and celebrities stood right behind us as they came off the dance floor – we got a kiss from Anton and Oti, Alijaz and Jeanette said hi, the celebs came over and chatted too. As it was a pre-record we saw lots of the dances twice, then saw all the pairings. If you are lucky enough to get tickets I can’t recommend it enough – I want to go again! Oh, and we found the studio hot, even though they kept opening the doors behind to get props in and out.

2 September 2018 at 08:27

Welcome to the first of the 2018 updates! Thank you so much for taking the trouble to add your experience. Amazing.. and I can really feel your excitment. You won’t forget it – it’s years since I went and I still can remember it… and ‘see’ some of the dances in my mind. I’m dead excited for Saturday’s big reveal. It must be odd holding such a big Strictly secret.

5 October 2018 at 09:55

Hi, Very useful site – I have tickets for this Saturday so will relay my experience.

Also seen this re. validation.

@bbcshowstours got tickets for Strictly on sat – can 1 person validate both tickets or do both have to be in the queue? How early do we need to arrive, internet has all sorts of crazy times. Please can you advise? Ta 🙂

BBC Shows and Tours ‏

@bbcshowstours Following Following @bbcshowstours

Hey, it’s fine for one person to validate the tickets but the named ticket-holder needs to be there for anyone to be admitted into the studio. Doors open at 3pm but we’d advise getting there as soon as you can – it’s first come, first served. Remember, you’ll both need photo ID!

10 October 2018 at 10:21

Hi Kim, a thousand apologies for the delay. I hope you had an amazing time! Yes please, if you have anything (even gushing about the experience, we love all that!) then would love to hear it. As will anyone lucky enough to follow you! Jules x

9 October 2018 at 21:16

I’ve got tickets for Oct 27th and will be travelling from holiday in a motorhome at that time. Does anyone know whether I can park nearby (with no height restrictions). Thanks.

10 October 2018 at 10:22

Huge congratulations Helen on getting a lucky ticket. I have no idea, but I’m sure someone will know… Fingers crossed (and have a great time!)…

29 October 2018 at 17:31

Hi I’ve got tickets for Blackpool on Nov 17th. Do you know any details about queueing /timings etc at Blackpool? Or places to stay?

3 November 2018 at 15:18

I’m sorry for the delay in pushing this through, but I’ve been away (with no wifi or mobile… on a ship to be clear… no Strictly for weeks!).. Hope someone can help!

10 October 2018 at 10:45

Hi Helen, Yes there is a public open space car park behind the IBIS Hotel.

Follow Signs for Civic Centre Parking Civic Offices Elstree Way Borehamwood WD6 1WA (accessible 24-hours) 400 Spaces

Pricing Up to 1 hour – 90p 1 – 2 hours – £1.70 2 – 3 hours – £2.20 3 – 4 hours – £3.20 4 – 5 hours – £4.20 Over 5 hours – £5.20

10 October 2018 at 17:24

Thank you, that is a great help. I’ll let you know how we got on after the event.

10 October 2018 at 10:52

Quick Update from my experience of the Show on Oct 6th – The queue to validate tickets started forming at 10pm the night BEFORE …. I got there at 5.45am so asked the people at the front what time they arrived … quite shocking really but they had tickets 1 and 2 and seemed happy enough. I ended up with 201 and 202 which was also fine. The only thing I would add to anyone going is when you are in the marquee and they start shouting out the ticket numbers, be ready when they get to the 150 + mark as they barely give anytime between 150-250+ we ended up going in with people to had been validated at 300 as we had just had our photos done at the booth and they were being printed – so we ended up on the balcony while the other ladies we queued with were downstairs. But saying that we had great views on the balcony directly opposite judges, and Claudias booth – ending up on the screen each time the dancers were interviewed which was hysterical to watch when we got home. All in all a great experience but be prepared for a very long day.

29 October 2018 at 13:19

This blog was very useful to me recently as the wife came up trumps for tickets for the live first show so here is what happened.

Booked the Premier Inn, which is 15 mins walk, as soon as found had got the tickets. Checked next day and price had rocketed so if you plan on staying over book as early as possible.

Both people do not need to queue but the person who’s name is on the tickets has to be their when validated at 9am. I got husband of the year award for leaving the wife tucked up in bed at Premier Inn and I hit the queue at 3:30am. I was 16th. Peeps at top of queue got there about 1am. Most people had small camping chairs and had layered up. I would not fancy queuing in any later months as can imagine how cold it gets. I was lucky as got no rain and it was fairly temperate. People are happy to look after your place in the queue if you want to duck out for a bathroom break or get a coffee. There is a 24 hrs Tesco 10 minutes walk. Most people start turning up for the queue about 6:30 on wards. The wife joined me about 7am and we got validated as 16/17 at just passed 9 and then went back to Premier Inn. We were told to return at 3:30.

We returned at 3:30 and queued for a short while before getting into the marquee. The marquee you have to surrender your mobile, we didn’t bother taking ours. There are cloakroom facilities, a bar, toilets and also a free photo booth. There is also a stall selling SCD merch. It does get very busy in the marquee with some 300 odd peeps and all of the seating is very close together.

You enter by tickets 1-25, 25-50 etc etc.. Being in the first 25 I honestly thought that these seats would be to left and right of the panel front row and possibly opposite the panel front row. They are not so be aware if you want to be on the TV near the panel the 1-25 is not for you. They are seated either side of the main dolly camera which goes up and down for all the main filming. If the studio is a clock then you have the main staircase and band as 12. Celeb front row friends, hangers on, 4pm. Main dolly camera 6pm. Stair case they run up after dancing 7.30ish, Panel 9pm. As the dolly camera swings above you and forward in line with your seats you will not be sat their shown grinning on TV.. So if you want to watch it when you get home and look for yourself then do not bother trying to get in the first 25. Also if you are in the 25 you are told that you cannot stand up to clap etc as the dolly camera could take you out. The good thing about the 1-25 seats is if you are are sat in 12-25 which is to the left of the dolly camera at 7pm then a lot of the dancers before they start or run up the stairs have a good bit of interaction with you. They do say that they are best seats in the house but for me i’d disagree as seats to left and right of panel and across the floor seem better.

The seats are cable tied together and it can be a bit snug.

Overall it was a great experience and we both loved it. All of the women who queue through the night turn up to the show looking unrecognisable from the make up less die- hards from the early hours. They all look amazing and I know how much it means to them. When you see people go into the studio their faces light up and most of them fight back the tears ,,, it is a little overwhelming when you see if all in the flesh.

Anyway. Enjoy it as you probably wont get another chance. It’s a long day but worth it. Excuse and typos or spelling errors.

3 November 2018 at 15:22

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, and I’m sorry you’ve sat in my inbox (but as explained above, or below.. not sure where this will sit, I’ve been at sea!). Hope the glittery memories still linger, and that you dine off the experience for a while to come!

8 November 2018 at 12:32

Eek so excited just found out I have tickets on 24th November! Coming all the way down from Aberdeen just panicking about actually getting in, am hoping 6am should be fine to get in?

8 November 2018 at 13:45

Huge congratulations on the golden ticket! I would have thought 06:00 would be okay, but I’m sure someone who’s more current than me on the experience will let you know…

16 November 2018 at 08:24

Hi this is all great to read and very informative. I’ve also got tickets for 24th yay!!! Does anyone know how dressy people go? I’m not sure what to wear! Thanks

16 November 2018 at 10:57

Congratulations! I think some really go for it. You’ve gotta sparkle, right?

19 November 2018 at 16:43

Ive just splashed out on a dress so I better get in!! Sparlketastic!

20 November 2018 at 16:42

7 December 2018 at 09:50

Hi I am delighted to say I have won tickets for The Final!!! I I have applied for years and regularly received the weekly email telling me I had been unsuccessful, until this week. I was struggling to sleep Monday night / Tuesday so checked my emails in the early hours to find I have won tickets for the final. I had no more sleep that night! By the time my husband was awake I had planned our hotel etc.and just needed to check with him about whether he wanted me to reserve the rooms with or without breakfast before I booked it. Thank you so much for this blog it has been so helpful in planning our trip. Speaking as someone who hasn’t been before, I do think the validation process makes this unnecessarily stressful. I understand the BBC need to ensure all seats are filled but surely there is a lower number of seats they could offer as guaranteed seats and then a second layer as reserve/possible seats. That way people with reserve/possible seats know what they are letting themselves in for before they commit money on flights/trains etc as well as hotels. Having said that, I am so excited that I just can’t sleep! Clothes-wise can anyone help me with ideas of how my husband should dress? E.g. is a dinner suit over the top for the final? I would welcome any suggestions or information from people who have been to previous finals re whether there are less tickets for the public etc.

7 December 2018 at 15:50

I can feel your excitment! Love it! Huge congratulations to you. I would be persuading my other half to wear a DJ. I’m not sure there is such a thing as OTT in a Strictly world! I’m sure someone will help out on the ticket query, but I’d get there as early as you can bear (given you won’t sleep anyway on the basis of this week!)

20 December 2018 at 09:02

My strictly final experience We booked into the Ibis just across the road from the studio the night before the show and wandered across to check where I needed to queue the next morning. There were lots of A4 laminated signs showing where and which direction to queue. The next morning I was in the queue by 6.10 am. I tried to count the number already there and it was about 200. Everyone was very friendly and chatty and well wrapped up because the temperature was in the minus figures although thankfully it was dry! I took a hot water bottle which I filled up in the hotel so that kept my body very warm. I also took hand warmers which helped, the main thing most people struggled with were freezing feet! At the front of the queue they had sleeping bags with duvets which looked as though they were from the hotel and one person who forgot a chair even brought a seat out from the hotel to sit on. At about 8.45 ish everyone started packing up their belongings and making a tighter queue that was ready to move forward quickly. At 9 am the friendly BBC staff came out and started validating tickets. They checked everyone’s ticket and photo I D. If you were in the queue representing two people but the other person wasn’t there or didn’t have their I D they reserved your number until later in the day when you had to collect your validation sticker in person with a valid I D. A lady in front of me hadn’t brought her correct ID and they wouldn’t accept a bank card so she had to phone her husband who drove two and a half hours to bring her driving license to her. One staff member said they had honoured all the tickets they had sent out and 398 members of the public were at the show, even people who turned up after 9 am still got in. We were back in the hotel by 9.45 very ready for our breakfast which they serve until 12! We were told to return at 2.30 by which time it was raining. We went straight in with no queue but they did check your tickets and ID again! Once inside we had to queue to hand our coats in and a small queue for the merchandise. I did buy a very small glass of Prosecco at the bar for £7.50 but it came in a plastic water type cup and wasn’t very cold. There was a free water cooler but nobody wanted to drink much because the staff don’t want you to leave the studio for the toilet once you are inside. We did queue for the photo booth but our number was called just as we got to the front so we missed getting a photo. They started with numbers 1-24 and made them go into the studio in strict numerical order. After that 24-50 went in and then in groups of 50 and once we started going in it was very quick! The people who were numbers 1 and 2 had started to queue from 8.45 pm the night before!! The staff said this was a record for the earliest anyone had started queueing. Talking to people inside between 5 45 and 6.15 seemed a very popular time to arrive with people at 5.45 getting numbers in the high tens and low 100 to us arriving at 6.10 getting numbers 247 and 248. We were given seats at the back of the ground floor facing the judges but were told by a staff member that we would be the first people to be chosen to move forward if needed. Everyone in our row moved forward at some point but we were considered ‘Seat Fillers’ so moved several times during the show. My husband and I were moved right into the centre celebrity area for the pre recordings of the professionals dancing and the returning stars dancing. We thought we were safe there but the celebrities who should have been in our seats turned up just 8 minutes before the live show started! We were both moved back to our original positions. Within one dance I was moved again and sat near Sir Lenny Henry filling Alan Carr’s seat while he was reading the terms and conditions. Alan Carr later reclaimed his seat and I was moved back to my original position. Then I was on the move again and asked to sit directly behind Alan Carr while that person had left the studio temporarily. I finished the show at the back again. I quite enjoyed all the seat moving because I got to see the dancing from several different perspectives. People who were next to me in the queue so number 249 and 250 were seated on the opposite side of the studio in the back row of the balcony so it really is luck where you end up. Because it was the final the show it ran straight through and when it finished we left the studio quickly, queued in a very fast moving queue to get our coats and were outside in a matter of minutes. It was a Fab U Lous night which I will remember for ever! Needless to say I will be applying again next year!

1 September 2019 at 18:56

Attended pre recording launch show Friday 30 August 2019 Flew in from Ireland that morning Arrived to no Q 11am Validated no problem Back at 3.15 Q for an hour then held in marquee milling about having drinks for about an hour We were last to be ushered in to studio and then they called standbys from outside Great seats saw everything and met all dancers and Tess and Claudia at different times as they ran off /on beside our seats 5pm-1015pm filming, we were well fed and watered with lots of toilet breaks I think we were lucky as was pre record on a Friday If I was lucky again for a Saturday I would probably Q at 7.30am

2 September 2019 at 15:26

Oh, I love the first Strictly story of the season! It brings all my wonderful memories right back… and I will be glued to the TV on Saturday. Enjoy the whole series Trish, and I wish you luck of the draw again!

2 September 2019 at 15:30

OK Strictly followers, I’ve had this query from Sue who is lucky enough to be heading to glitterland TOMORROW… and she needs some sparkly best advice, please reply and I’ll approve the comments PDQ…

“My granddaughter and I will be at the Strictly Recording tomorrow, registration is at !pm and show starts at 5pm, we plan to join the queue at 10am – we will be staying at The Ibis, and as you’ve been before I wondered if you could answer my question – will we have time to go back to the hotel and change after registration? I would so appreciate your advice! Many thanks Sue”

3 September 2019 at 22:30

Plenty of time The Ibis is SO close We stayed premier Inn and would definitely book Ibis if was lucky again

4 September 2019 at 08:18

You star, thank you!

4 September 2019 at 09:36

Hi, We stayed at the travel lodge, we got to register about 7pm, then got our numbers about 9 if I remember, wrap up warm, take a chair and umbrella, then back to the hotel for breakfast! Enjoy your day, before your sparkling evening.

9 September 2019 at 15:43

Hi, wondering if anyone can help!

My friend managed to get tickets for a couple weeks, however can’t go! Can she give them to me to use for myself and another person? Can we transfer the name across? I’m currently on the waiting list for a showing as I didn’t get tickets. Or will we be okay to just go and hope they don’t get tickets?

Thank you if someone can help

9 September 2019 at 17:58

Oh Lucy, I’m not current on the tickets and checking… but I’m sure someone will help you! I’m sure that someone phoned in the BBC hotline before, and they were very helpful. Have you tried to call them up? Best of luck, and do let us know!

18 September 2019 at 14:11

I have tickets for the 5th October. My husbands name is on the ticket (his E Mail). I have been told I can not have the tickets for me and a friend. The person who’s name is on the ticket must attend the show (show ID).

18 September 2019 at 14:34

Oh wow. They got stricter? Or Strictlier… Seriously, was that information from the helpline?

19 September 2019 at 12:55

Yes, my husband rang the number on the ticket and was told in no way could they change his name to mine. He has to be in attendance or hand the tickets back. I also tweeted bbc shows and tours and got the same info from them. Even asking if he could come along show his ID but then let my friend in instead of him but they still won’t allow this. Can’t miss this opportunity though, so he’s going to take me along and pretend to love it for my sake!!!!

19 September 2019 at 14:33

Oh my! Top husband points… but it will be worth it. Thank you so much for clarifying and I hope you have a great outing in Strictlyland. I can’t wait for Saturday evening…

9 September 2019 at 18:54

Hi I have tickets for 28th September. From reading the many different posts (and assuming the times probably get slightly earlier every year) it sounds like you need to arrive somewhere around1am to be the first in the queue, around 3am to be in the front row and around 6am to get tickets with the bulk of the audience. Can anyone who went last year or anyone who goes the week before me (21st September) help me out and advise if that sounds about right?

Thank you so much, sooooo excited….

9 September 2019 at 19:11

You lucky thing! Hopefully someone will help you out, and then I can update in the main body for 2019… although when thinking about all things Strictly, devouring all the comments may not be a bad thing. Certainly peaks the excitement! Be sure to report back, WHEN you get in! X

22 September 2019 at 17:26

Hi there, can anyone who went last night offer any advice about what type of time they queued to get their tickets validated? Can’t wait to go next Saturday and just want to make sure I allow enough time!

Thank you, Rebecca

23 September 2019 at 12:18

There’s already a comment queued up that might just make your day…. and have a wonderful show!

23 September 2019 at 23:45

Thanks so much! 🙂

9 September 2019 at 20:39

When I got tickets 2 years ago, we joined the queue about 4:30am! And were around numbers 80-84 I think, I can’t remember exactly! The first 7 rows are for all the BBC execs guests so they start at row 8 and back for everyone else! The people at the very front of the queue got the ‘special seats’ behind the cameras looking directly at the band, but when we went, those people started queuing at 11pm the night before! So we were there early but not mega early and ended up 9 rows back directly opposite the judges and it was a great view!

12 September 2019 at 14:19

Hi, I have managed to get 2 tickets for the pro dancers pre record on Thurs. Ticket validation is from 1pm, does anyone know if people queue from silly o’clock for these and if you have time to go and change after before going in. So so excited but don’t want to not get in if we turn up at 11

12 September 2019 at 16:48

Hi Sally, congratulations! I have absolutely no idea… but let’s hope that someone can help you! I once went to a pre-record of a Dolly Parton dance, and I think we were a couple of hours before (It was in BBC TV Centre then) and we were fine… but that was eons ago. Best of luck x

15 September 2019 at 18:58

Hey, I won tickets but I’m not the most dressy of people (I don’t own a dress or heels). What do people tend to wear? Really helping me out

16 September 2019 at 08:34

Hello! Congratulations. I’d wear whatever you want! When I went (many moons ago) there were all kinds of dress (I wore trousers to be clear!). Just scan the audience for the next show and I think it will reassure you. Anyone else got any advice for Rachel?

20 September 2019 at 08:25

We went to the professional dancers pre-record yesterday. Overall it was absolutely fantastic. Even queuing up for validation of tickets was fun because it was beautifully sunny and we chatted to people in the queue. The worst part was being penned like cattle in the marquee for over 2 hours before we were allowed in the studio. It was hot, there were very few seats and, having glammed up, many of us were wearing heels so our feet really hurt. The show itself was incredible. The professional dancers were not only superb but really friendly too.

20 September 2019 at 09:29

Oh it sounds wonderful.. but not the cattle bit. It’s a dilemma about the heels. No one sees anything but the top half on TV, but it would look wrong to wear slippers.. 🙂 Thanks for sharing Gill x

23 September 2019 at 09:33

Went on 21st Sept to the first 2019 show. Pretty much everything else happened as above (thanks for the blog), so vital stats: Arrived 04:10 for ticket validation Got numbers 60/61 #1/2 started queuing at 11pm the night before! Were sat on the first “public” row opposite the judges, actually row number 5 behind friends/family/production but was on the 2nd tier up so I think we had a good view inc the floor/dancer’s feet. Returned at 4.15pm I would say being nearer the front of the queue enabled us to get the photo quicker, by the time we’d got it the queue snaked up and down the marquee 3 times! For 1-24, 25-49 and us in 50-74 (us) were lined up in numerical order to go into the studio, can’t say for those afterwards. Finished at 9.20pm as there was no vote and the studio audience cleared pretty quickly. Overall a great experience and evening!

23 September 2019 at 12:20

Thank you so much for commenting and giving a little bit of insight for this current season! I’m glad to be of Strictly-service… And you saw *that* samba? Very envious!

23 September 2019 at 23:44

Thank you, really helpful for this coming Saturday! Do you have any idea what time the last people who got in arrived to queue? Hoping to get there for 6am ish and fingers crossed that will be ok! Can’t wait.

29 September 2019 at 01:02

Sorry for the late reply, prob to late by now! There were still people arriving when we were leaving at 09:15 and somewhat distraught after a 3 hour drive to see the queue outside the back of the park. I have no idea what numbers they got. I did see a roll of yellow standby stickers on the hand of the ticket validation team

29 September 2019 at 10:20

I queued up early as didn’t want to miss out on tickets after travelling so far . Seats on the balcony aren’t as good as I suppose and at the back can’t see the feet. Depends on what risk you wish to take but as it’s probably a once in a lifetime event I was in the front row !

29 September 2019 at 13:05

Still being run like a cattle market herding everyone in!!!!!

29 September 2019 at 14:02

Oooh dear….

24 September 2019 at 23:56

Coming on Saturday, only worried about not using the loo situation. Has anything changed in that??

25 September 2019 at 10:10

Hi Christine… I feel your anxiety! I hope that you get some good advice!

29 September 2019 at 00:56

Sorry for the late reply, I guess you have been too the show already. The production runner said we could go any time but to try and wait for the natural break in the filming and even gave instructions on how to return to the same seats.

27 September 2019 at 12:29

Thanks for all the comments, feeling a bit nervous for next week (Movie Week so anticipating more people will go and might be trickier!)

Due to childcare arrangements, we won’t be able to get there before 11.30am/midday-ish on Saturday. Does anyone have any experience of getting there at a similar time and still getting in?

I got tickets back in 2013 when the validation started a bit later and was on the balcony opposite the judges, can’t remember what number we were though!

Any help/reassurance appreciated! Thanks!

27 September 2019 at 16:44

Oh that’s exciting… and nerve-wracking regarding childcare! Hopefully you’ll get some good advice and feel reassured.

29 September 2019 at 23:21

I personally would expect all of the tickets to have been validated by that time; yesterday from what we could tell in the queue more people turned up than there were tickets so the validation was all done by about 10am. Maybe someone nearer the back of the queue will be able to confirm though as that’s not definite. Hope you manage to get in!

29 September 2019 at 00:36

I’m also going next week for Movie night. I had to call the BBC regarding an ID query and I asked about how many ballot tickets had been sent out vs how many seats were available. The BBC guy double checked for me and said there are 700 ballot tickets sent out for that week and 680 actual seats. So only really 20 ballot tickets wouldn’t get in and to be honest I imagine this is easily covered by people just not showing up for many reasons. It makes me think that as long as you’re not desperate to be in the top seats that all this queuing very early is a bit pointless.

29 September 2019 at 18:57

I went yesterday, to week 2. We arrived at 7.30am and I was number 335 in the queue by then. Our tickets were validated by 10.am. No one came out to start validation until around 9.15am. Some people had been queuing from 10pm the night before!. Those people got to go in the front rows, but we were on the balcony near the stairs and opposite the judges and we had such an amazing view of everything. We spoke to the bbc lady who had checked our ID earlier in the morning and she said 50 people didn’t get tickets but they had been put on stand by and told to return at 4.45pm. This lovely lady said that they do their absolute best to get the stand by people in the studio. The seats in the balcony areas are benches (comfy though) so when all the validated ticket ipeople are in, they ask people to move up closer to each other to create as much space as possible and then they let the stand by people in.- she said rarely do they not get everyone in. Someone in the queue told us that it depends on how many friends and family of.’strictly stars’ are there though and in the early shows with more dancers that means more friends and family so the number of audience tickets must increase as people get eliminated. It’s amazing fun, even the queuing was fine as everyone is so happy to be there. Quite a few people who were there early had camping chairs, if you are taking your car, well worth taking chairs, flasks etc although Macdonalds is only a 5 minute walk to get coffee and breakfast if you don’t. We started to feel really cold after standing around for 2 hours so wrap up warm. Another thing worth knowing is that the ticket holder person has to be there to validate ID but if the guest can’t be there in the morning, they did facilitate picking their ticket and number ‘sticker’ up at the return time for their ID to be checked. I had to take my phone as I had a Uber picking us up but the queue to collect phones at the end didn’t take any longer than the queue for the cloakroom. All in all such a wonderful experience, I wouldn’t do it again next week as it is quite exhausting but if I was lucky enough to get tickets again this yearI would definitely love go again!

30 September 2019 at 13:09

Ah, you bring back such happy memories. I love your ‘wouldn’t do it again next week’… Thanks for the update Rebecca, and you’ll be buzzing for a while yet on the memories.

30 September 2019 at 13:10

Rebecca’s coming next. Sorry Diane! My bad xx

30 September 2019 at 14:04

Thanks Julia, this blog is so great and so helpful!

There was a lovely young girl (she was about 16) with her Mum stood behind us in the queue. She walked up and down the line, counting how many initially, everyone wanted to know what number they were so she ended up chatting to everyone. By the time the tickets were validated, she knew practically everyone in the queue! Someone mentioned this to the BBC staff in the marquee and they interviewed her for social media and then gave her and her mum seats at the front. How lovely was that!

30 September 2019 at 14:19

I love this Diane! It’s so lovely. Quite made my day (it is very grey and not-Strictly-land at all here in Cornwall)… x

29 September 2019 at 23:18

I went to the live show yesterday. A great experience. Thanks Adrian for all your advice by the way!

Got to the queue at 6am after reading previous posts and when they were validated we were in the early 200s. Our seats were in the back row of the ground floor. Views of the dance floor were fine as the seats are sloped but we were too far back to be seen on tv. In reality only the first 2 or 3 rows are really seen on tv as the rest of the audience are pretty much in darkness.

It’s an efficient system but a long day; we didn’t get out until after 11am (although being early on in the series we did see all the dancers).

You have to be hardcore fans if you want to be first in the queue. The first people (numbers 1 and 2) got to the queue at 9.30pm on Friday night and sat out in camping chairs all night, essentially on a pavement. The people behind them got there at midnight. There’s a friendly atmosphere in the queue and if you’re with a friend then one of you can pop out to the Tesco or Costa nearby. Tickets took about 45 min to be validated so we were gone by 9.45am and had to come back for 4pm. When we were queuing there were people turning up right until 9am but not sure if everyone got in. The highest ticket number I saw was around 470. The later people arrived, the more worried/despondent they looked as they saw the size of the queue.

I personally really enjoyed it and it’s fascinating to see how it’s all made and how the show runs like a well oiled machine. All the celebs and dancers were really friendly but you can’t take any phones or cameras in. The warm up guy was funny and kept the crowd entertained. The seats are crammed in and not very comfortable after 7 hours of sitting in them. There are portaloos you can use before the show and in the break after the live show has been finished (before the results show filming).

Hope this is useful like the thread above was to me!

29 September 2019 at 23:19

Sorry about the typo; above I said we didn’t get out until after 11am, I meant after 11pm!!!

30 September 2019 at 13:12

Yes, 11:00 am would have been a very long night… Thanks for the update! I wish I could go next week. Mivie week was the one I saw all those moons ago… *sigh*

30 September 2019 at 13:11

Hardcore! Or slighty bonkers!

6 October 2019 at 21:34

Just got back from movie week (5th October) . The first people in the queue this week got there at 5:30pm on Friday!!! All of the ‘best seats’ at the end opposite the band would have gone by 2:30am. As my mom couldn’t sleep due to the excitement we arrived at around 6:25am and got tickets 241 and 242. Everyone in our part of the queue was lovely and they really did help to make the day. Do wrap it well. I had this idea that the queue would be against a building but it isn’t. It’s essentially the path in a small park that you are queuing along with grass on either side. You are not sheltered from the elements in any way so I’m pleased that we went on a dry and mild weekend. I’d hate to be out there in driving rain. Despite the good weather, a north face coat with inner fleece, jumper, scarf wrapped around head and neck and gloves, I was still getting pretty cold after two hours. Do wrap up very warm. Validation started at 9am, and they got to us at 9.40amish. They are very tight on the ID. Ensure that the guest also has the correct Id with them. No ID other than those listed on their website will be accepted. If you don’t have any then the Validate UK card has an express delivery service which we used for my mom. The last people to get a guaranteed seat had arrived just after 8:30am. I met a couple who had arrived at around 8:45am and they had standby ticket 19. I saw them again today and they did get in to see the show and they thought that everyone else did too. They say downstairs towards the back towards the band end. They stagger the return times. I had to return by 4:15pm, those with standby at 5:30pm. You had to show your Id again when you return.

6 October 2019 at 21:45

Part twofold 5th October: you have to put coats and mobiles in. Your mobile gets put in a sandwich bag with a raffle ticket with your initials on and you get the twin half of that ticket to collect it with. Toilets are porter cabins that have between 3-6 toilets in them (like the type you get at Ascot). The problem is that you have to go outside to get to them. I can’t imagine what this is like if it’s raining and you’ve handed in your coat?? There are several of these cabins in that area so ask staff to direct you to one with a shorter queue as it isn’t obvious. You can go to the toilet at any point when the audience isn’t likely to be captured in the shot. A good time would be when Claudia is talking to the dancers as they get their scores, as this followed directly by the vt of the next set of dancers. The staff will tell the other crew that someone from their area needs the loo and they direct you from one member of staff to the next. I had to be stopped for a moment to let Motti through to her judges chair. When you first get there in the evening, after putting in your coat get in the queue for the photos as this is a very long queue and a great momento. You can do the gift stand during the break. The photo area was in the top left corner.

6 October 2019 at 22:13

Part three 5th October. As we waited for our numbers to be called in we were joined by the ladies we had queued with that morning. We were the first of our number block called through. To be honest it’s a free for all. We were taken to the left but the people directly behind us, that we had queued with, were taken to the right. They had seats on the ground floor about 5 rows back, right behind all of the special guests of the celebs and dancers. Whilst we were on the back row of the balcony right above the judges area, and Claudias area is also on that side. I was a bit gutted, their seats looked so good compared to ours and also I’d enjoyed their company. It also didn’t seem right that people with much higher tickets were on my balcony and yet they had some of the best seats going. I was sitting next to people who had both arrived an hour earlier than us for validation and others that had arrived an hour later. So as long as you get in don’t worry about where you are in the queue as unless you are very early numbers it’s all a bit random. I met my ladies this morning and they said they couldn’t see the bottom of the dancers from their seats and that they couldn’t see the judges in-action as the camera crew were always blocking their view. I met a woman who had been in the queue by 3am and she was sat on Bruno’s side but quite far back and she wasn’t too impressed with her seats. The balcony has three rows, and we were at the back and we could see Tess when she was talking to the judges but not the actual judges desk. There are some screens that hang from the ceiling so we could see what was happening on those. I could see all of the dancing with no issues (including feet). What was most fun though was that from the back row on our side you could see the back stage passage and some of the celebs would rehearse there before they went on which was amazing to watch. A Rice took a moment alone there after her dance. Before the dance off David James and partner were rehearsing again and again. Whilst Clifton and Rice barely looked at each other. At the end of our balcony you could also see the dancers being prepped with last minute hair and makeup before they went on stage and people not facing hanging out at the top of Claudias stair area. As we left we got to see ‘magic Mike’ and say well done to him as he headed through the backstage door. Lesson learnt is that all seats have good and bad points so just make the most of it. The show isn’t being made for those in the room but those at home so no seat is perfect. We’d been texted to say the show wasn’t going to end until 11:15pmbut in fact it ended at 11: 40ish. There is a 20ish min break after the first show ended (9:10pm for us). You get given a can of water and two biscuits then. It’s very warm in the venue. I think you only need a cardi if you are sitting in the top thirty seats as these are in the area where the props go in and out so could be a bit chilly. I had a sleeveless dress on. To be honest for the money spent on trains, hotels etc we could have got the best seat tickets for the scd live tour which I always really enjoy.

7 October 2019 at 16:50

I have loved reading ALL of your comments, Lisa, and thank you sooooo much for sharing them. I think I felt the same about the view/seats… but you have so much more from the experience of it. It makes me wish I could go again, and i wasn’t sure that I would have done it at the time, as it’s ‘hard work’ and amazing all at the same time. Oh to be a guest of one of those Strictly Stars! Enjoy the rest of the series from the comfort of your sofa!

28 October 2019 at 21:38

I received a text today to say I’d been allocated tickets for Blackpool on 16th Nov….but 10 hours later and still no tickets via email. How long do they usually take to come through and is there a number I can call if nothing arrives? V excited….but worried it might not be true!!

28 October 2019 at 21:58

It will be fine! What a show to get to… although any one could be out at any time! Totes absorbing x

28 October 2019 at 22:02

Ooo I hope so, I’ve got everything crossed. Can’t believe after 11 years that I’ve got tickets at last! I remember watching Come Dancing on TV at the Tower Ballroom when I was a kid….now we’re off!!

31 October 2019 at 08:04

Did the email come through? I’ve been dying to find out, but have had a friend staying. Haven’t even watched Zoe/Rylan this week! Shocker!

31 October 2019 at 08:21

Ooo sorry! Yes! They came through! I waited until 24 hours had passed….felt that was long enough (!!) then rang the Beeb. Spoke to a fantastic guy and he confirmed my tickets and arranged to re-send them. They arrived about 20 mins later! Can’t speak highly enough of the chap on the ticket line. He gave me my ticket numbers and a whole host of instructions in case something went wrong again. I’ve been shopping for a sparkly frock ever since! So excited. Thanks for all the help and advice x

31 October 2019 at 09:03

That’s awesome news! Very happy for you!

4 November 2019 at 21:46

look at your email spam folder, that’s where my tickets came through 🙂

30 October 2019 at 19:27

We have tickets for this Saturday and wondered if anyone had any information regarding disabled access? Is the queue suitable for disabilities? Thanks.

31 October 2019 at 08:03

It’s too long ago for me to remember, but I am sure someone will give some great advice. I really hope it all works out and you have a wonderful time x

12 September 2022 at 21:06

I was hoping someone would advise on this too….!

13 September 2022 at 17:09

Hi Heloise, I can’t remember if someone did make a comment about that later on. Anne-Marie’s was in 2019! Where does time go? The helpline always seemed to be super-helpful (a good asset in a helpline!) so I hope you get an answer. Bests, Julia

5 November 2019 at 13:24

I’ve tickets for the 23rd November – super excited! Thanks so much for all the useful information on here !

28 November 2019 at 13:20

OMG Having read all these comments I am filled with trepidation and despondency about the queuing involved for the day. We have tickets for this Tuesday and where as I was looking forward to it, I am now not so sure. I think I’ll keep hold of my coat in case I’m seated in a cold area and as for the rest, grit my teeth and go with the flow. Are all the British public mad or what!

3 December 2019 at 00:13

I have been lucky enough to get tickets to this year’s Christmas special but feel gutted as we have decided not to go after reading the reviews about all the queueing and ridiculously early times you have to arrive. We live in the Midlands and can’t get there until about 10am at the earliest and according to the reviews it would be a waste of time. Am so angry at the BBC for creating this system, why can’t people validate tickets online 24 hours before! If I could do this I would definitely go. Myself and my elderly mum are so disappointed

3 December 2019 at 17:30

Andrea, it’s so tricky. Maybe they will change it, but maybe not too. I am so sorry for you. Don’t let it spoil the magic of the show. It really does brighten up winter.

3 December 2019 at 17:37

Andrea It’s a pre record Christmas special I would say 10am fine Go for it Lots of people are too busy to go and Christmas time The pre records are never anything as busy as the live shows

3 December 2019 at 17:40

Oh, Andrea… this looks helpful from Tricia? (Thank you so much for commenting!)

5 December 2019 at 22:07

We were lucky enough to get tickets for last Saturday which was musicals week (yes we saw ‘that jive’)and it was worth every second of being in the cold queue. As we live in the North East we travelled down on Friday night and spent the night at a hotel (Motsi and Emma were also staying there as it happens). We joined the queue at 7:15am and it was -2 when we arrived so sat surrounded by frost. The people at the front of the queue had been there since 7:30pm on Friday, so they looked frozen stiff! Advice: take a cheap camping chair and wear many many layers for the queue! At 9am the staff came out to validate tickets and we were numbers 266 and 267. Our ID was checked so make sure you have it with you. I think that everyone in the queue managed to get in, even those who turned up at 9am, but I wouldn’t risk leaving it that late just in case. We were asked to be back at 3pm but had to stand again in the queue until 4:15 and had ID checked again (wish we still had our chairs because in my 40’s I’m getting too old to stand still for a long time in high heels!) Once we were in the marquee and handed in coats and mobiles, we bought some things from the merchandise stall and had our photos taken at the booth which was a real laugh. We were sat upstairs right next to Claudia’s area which was superb because the dancers were next to us all evening. Many of them spoke with us and it was a great atmosphere. We had a great view of the dance floor and were very impressed by the production crew who never stopped! During the interval we were given a can of water and a packet of 2 biscuits which staved off the hunger pangs. The warm-up guy, Stuart, was hilarious and made the time go quickly. Tess and Claudia were very professional on-camera but were very funny off-camera… I saw them in a new light. The filming didn’t finish until almost 11pm which made it a very long day but I would definitely do it all again in a heartbeat.

6 December 2019 at 15:16

Ah, Liz, thank you so much for sprinkling some fresh glitter on the blog and comments. ‘That jive’.. you lucky thing. You’ll be talking about it for a long time to come. What a great night to get to witness!

7 December 2019 at 10:28

Hi everyone, we got tickets for the final next week and the validation starts at 09:00. We intend to queue three hours before. Anyone who has the experience of going to the Final if slightly different than the other weeks. First time for us too. Staying at the Ibis on Friday. Excited and nervous too about the marathon day.

7 December 2019 at 10:29

Great blog. Very informative.

30 December 2019 at 17:14

Thanks to everyone who has left hints and tips on here. We were lucky enougth to have tickets for 19th October.

The only think I would add other than the first 20 where you end up sitting is a bit of a lottery. We had numbers 283 and 284 and ended up in the front row of the balcony immediately behind the judges. We had a good view of everything apart from the judges faces. We were well pleased.

A very long day but well worth it.

5 January 2020 at 14:56

Thanks Jonathan – you’ll not forget it in a long while! I can’t quite believe that it’s all done now, but I guess it will come around again soon!

25 September 2022 at 12:14

Just back from the first line show of 2022! Here are my notes on the experience. I hope they are useful for someone… Arrived to queue up at about 6.30am. we were about no. 70 in the queue and ended up in the back row of the balcony on the side opposite the judges. From what I can tell, the people at the front of the queue were there at 5am and the first 20, maybe first 70 got to sit at ground level behind and around the judges. BUT that included some ‘production guests’ who didn’t have to queue and were given tickets by the show. These are folk from other BBC depts etc. Something to do with encouraging celebs to take part in future shows apparently…. Anyway 70-120 were sat in our balcony. Not sure which tickets where sat opposite the judges (behind all the celeb guests). We were told there were only 240 seats this week because of all the celeb guests. Everyone got a seat that had queued in the morning. We were asked to come back at 3.30 but didn’t get into the marquee until 4.30-5ish. e didn’t go into the studio until about 6.15 I think. They pre record all the pro dances so we literally just saw the celeb performances. I suspect the Guest singer/band performances are pre recorded too but don’t know for sure. I think it’s best to assume this and not be disappointed! There aren’t enough seats for everyone in the marquee so unless you are in the first 100 ish you might be standing for quite a while. The merchandise stall was quite mediocre but apparently ‘exclusive’! Gym stuff draw string bags, take away coffee cups, coffee mugs, toddler t-shirts, compact mirrors and note books. The bar had alcohol, soft drinks, choc and crisps. Plenty of good quality toilets. You can go to the toilet whenever you need to in the performance… You just have to wait for a pre record slot to be allowed back in. If you are in the balcony you can’t stand up or stamp your feet. You get an audience assistant looking after you. Ours was Colin. He was lovely and answered all our random questions while we waited. The TV screen to watch what is going live is tiny. I think that’s all I can think of that might help…. I recommend that you assume you won’t be on TV or meet a celeb….Enjoy!

25 September 2022 at 17:03

AMAZING Heloise, thank you so much. I’m going to drop this straight into the main blog so that anyone visiting doesn’t have to scroll through. Although who wouldn’t want to? I wish I’d applied this year..

1 October 2022 at 22:49

I have got 2 tickets for 15th October, both with my name on. I’m taking a friend, will she need to come to be validated too and how will she be accepted if her ticket is in my name? Also, can we take in some snacks? I definitely can’t survive without food for 6 hours.

3 October 2022 at 15:12

Hi Roberta, I’m sure someone will be able to help you. Congratulations on getting the Sparkly Lottery! Maybe Heloise has some suggestions as our latest contributor/updater!

5 October 2022 at 10:24

I have just called the BBC Shows helpline – 0370 901 1227 – and they have told me that it is only myself as the name on my two tickets that has to attend the validation. The tickets will always be issued in the name of the person who applied, the guest can be whoever the applicant wants. Hope this helps others attending.

6 October 2022 at 10:01

That sounds sensible & like they were super helpful. Thank you Roberta!

26 October 2022 at 22:21

Am going on Saturday. Cant travel night before and realistically will get to elstree about 8.30 fingers crossed we get in. Been trying for years. Thanks for all the info on here

27 October 2022 at 08:57

Ah Su, I will have everything crossed for you and hope the sparkle gods grant you a viewing at the worshipful place of all things fab-u-lous Julia x ✨

29 October 2022 at 16:27

Firstly can I just thank you Julia and to everyone who has added their experiences to the blog, this info is worth its weight in gold!! We were lucky enough to get tickets to week 4 and I spent so much time researching how the day works before hand, to make sure we got the most out of it! We booked into the Premier Inn for Friday and Saturday night, which cost £152. I looked at the Ibis first but that would have cost £228. The Premier Inn is a 10 minute walk from the studio which was fine for us. The Ibis is literally over the road from the studio though if you’d rather be on the doorstep/have mobility issues etc. We had also pre booked a meal at Paolos Italian on Shenley Rd ( 20 minute walk from the hotel) on the Friday evening which was fabulous! Shenley Rd is full of places to eat so there’s loads of choice. We had a wander down to find the right gate on Friday evening, just to make sure we knew where we needed to be! It’s quite an unassuming metal gate, away from the main entrance but it did have signs on it saying that this is where the Strictly audience enter. We set our alarm for 5am and arrived in the queue at 540am. Surprisingly there weren’t that many people in front of us, although the ones right at the front had started queueing at 10pm Friday! We took camping chairs, flasks and muffins with us and were well wrapped up. It’s surprising how cold you get sitting/standing around! We got lucky with the weather, it was around 10 degrees at that time of the morning and we had no rain. But be aware, the queue is on a path through a park so you are absolutely at the mercy of the elements. Plenty of people took advantage of the nearby McDonald’s/Tesco for food and drink, both of which are a couple of minutes walk from the queue. The time passed quite quickly, we were queuing next to lovely people which helped! The gates opened at about 905am and staff checked our tickets and ID. We were then allocated numbers 39/40 and told make sure we ate a big lunch and to return at 3pm. We had an quick drink at Costa (inside Tesco) and then headed back to the hotel for a nap. We left it a bit late to eat so quickly got a table at the nearby Toby Carvery which did the job!

We arrived back at the same gate just before 3pm and there was already around 40 people queuing. The gates didn’t open until around 330pm because a group of children had been watching the rehearsals and had to be let out before we could go in. Once through the gate, they separated the males from the females and I had my bag searched and was then body scanned. We then went into the marquee where people had to immediately hand in coats and phones. We hadn’t bothered taking either to avoid having to queue again at the end of the evening.

In the marquee there was some seating, but most people ended up sat on the floor eating food they’d brought with them (sealed packs of sandwiches/crisps etc). There is a small bar which sells drinks/crisps/chocolate but there’s nothing more substantial available to eat once you’re in. We were allowed to take sealed bottles of water in to the studio and there was a water cooler that you can use to fill your own bottles. The toilets are located outside the marquee and are the posh portaloo type that you sometimes get at outdoor weddings. There were around 12 ladies and 4 mens from memory. There was a warm up guy who told us that we’d be going through to the studio at about 430pm and so we grabbed a couple of drinks and did some people watching. At about 440pm we were instructed to line up in groups 1-50, 51-100 and so on. We found that the our group were considerate enough to queue in numerical order.

We were led into the studio and the first 20-30 people ended up sat behind the judges. The next 20 or so, including us, were seated opposite the judges, three rows back from where the dancing couples sit! They were fabulous seats which gave us great views of the dance floor, stairs and the judges. As time passed, family and friends of the contestants came in and we ended up sat directly behind Mike Bushell (front row) and then the row in front of us there was Davood Ghadami and James Byes wife!

George Ezra performed his latest song, recorded for the Sunday night results show and then it wasn’t long until the live show started! It was everything I hoped it would be and so much more! We got to see Hamza`s amazing Samba first hand, the noise in the studio when the dance ended was deafening!

After the live show finished, there was quite a long wait whilst the judges filmed a segment for the following weeks 100 Years of the BBC Show, and then the results show was filmed.

The whole evening was so slick and well managed and it was fascinating to see the crew whipping the props and sets on and off between dances. We left the studio at 1050pm with numb bums but so many amazing memories!

7 November 2022 at 10:22

Hi Emma, it sounds like an incredible and well-organised and joyous experience. Honestly (as someone who went a million moons ago), you’ll be talking about it for years to come… Julia x

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Things you don’t know about. . . Being in the Strictly Come Dancing audience

You gets a hot seat at the show and finds out what we don’t get to see at home – and why the contestants’ trousers never fall down.

By Maureen Paton for MailOnline Updated: 15:02 EDT, 15 November 2008

View comments

The dance floor looks much smaller in real life It’s actually 14 metres x 9.2 metres. The red-and-gold art-deco set is based on the Blackpool ballroom where Strictly ’s forerunner, Come Dancing , was recorded.

Strictly no jeans The audience dress code is smart. Some people really glam up for the occasion by hiring full-length evening gowns with feather boas.

The cameramen are exempt from the dress code They usually wear highly unglamorous baggy shorts, trainers and vests, as it’s hot work manoeuvring their cameras at top speed around the dancing couples.

Admission is first come, first served To make sure the house is full, the BBC distributes more free tickets than there are studio seats, so you have to arrive early to secure a place. The front row of the stalls is usually reserved for friends and family of the contestants.

You get to appear in two shows in one night The Sunday dance-off to eliminate one of two couples is recorded after the live show on Saturday. During the hour-long break, the audience go to a reception area and are given juice and Kit Kats, while participants retire to a ‘star bar’.

Strictly no children allowed No one under 16 is admitted because the day is so long that it’s considered too tiring for children. The only exceptions made are for children of contestants.

Booing the judges’ verdicts is positively encouraged A warm-up man tells the audience, ‘Feel free to boo’, before the judges come on.

Judges mustn’t be seen to sweat An army of make-up artists descends upon the judges to powder their noses between takes. Foundation is needed to make them look cool under pressure so that they don’t appear to be perspiring about their decisions.

Brucie has cue cards Like any presenter, Bruce has cue cards to help with the running order. But his gags are delivered word-perfect from memory. There are large stand-by cue cards taped to the floor in case the Autocue monitors go down.

Costumes have secret support The male contestants’ waistbands are made deliberately tight, so that their trousers don’t fall down in front of the cameras, while flesh-coloured straps hold up the women contestants’ apparently ‘strapless’ gowns.

• Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC1 on Saturday and Sunday evenings

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Strictly Come Dancing Live tour - what to expect, tickets latest and full-line up for Manchester AO Arena gigs

Stars of the hit BBC show waltz back to Manchester at the weekend, and it looks like we're in for a treat

• 20:40, 23 JAN 2022
• Updated 15:43, 8 MAR 2022

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After a two year absence, the sequin-festooned spectacle of Strictly Come Dancing Live is back at arenas up and down the country.

Stars of the latest BBC series will be joined by previous show favourites to all once again do ballroom battle in an arena setting - with audiences getting to vote for their favourite at every show on the tour.

And fans of Strictly will get to watch the series 19 winner, EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis and her dance partner Giovanni Pernice, once again compete against runner-up, Great British Bake Off star John Whaite and Johannes Radebe.

READ MORE: Gary Barlow to play intimate hometown gigs in February

The Strictly Live tour kicked off in Birmingham, and heads to Mancheser's AO arena next weekend, January 29-30 for four dazzling shows.

There are matinee and evening performances on both Saturday and Sunday, with tickets still available for most shows.

Here we take a little look at what you can expect on the new tour and who will be aiming to impress for the audience votes.

Who is in the line-up?

Strictly 2021 winners, EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, will be defending their title on the dancefloor, alongside runners-up Great British Bake Off star John Whaite and Johannes Radebe for the live tour.

They will be joined by show favourites Dragon's Den star Sara Davies and Aljaž Skorjanec and Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu.

Reality star Tilly Ramsay will reunite with her dance partner Nikita Kuzmin on the tour, after he missed earlier dates having tested positive for Covid-19.

Returning Strictly stars for this year's tour are The Wanted heart-throb Max George who is teamed with Katya Jones, and EastEnders star Maisie Smith who has stepped in for the injured AJ Odudu to perform with Kai Widdrington.

As well as the couples’ dances, fans will have the chance to see some breathtaking group performances throughout the show.

Professional dancers Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Neil Jones, Jake Leigh, Cameron Lombard, Luba Mushtuk and Jowita Przystal will be bringing even more wow to this super-sized dance extravaganza, which features live music from the Strictly singers and band.

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New Look have all the stylish items you need to update your wardrobe. There are many New Look discount codes for you to choose from. Get money off your order with New Look promo codes .

Who are the judges and presenter?

Strictly fans can look forward to something of a reunion on the judging panel for the 2022 tour.

For as well as the BBC show's head judge Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel-Horwood, there will be the return of Bruno Tonioli who was a judge for 17 series of the show until 2020.

There's also the return of another show favourite, professional dancer Janette Manrara, who becomes the new host for the tour.

Janette, who is now host on the BBC's Strictly It Takes Two, heads out on the tour with her husband Aljaz who remains a pro dancer in the show.

How to get tickets

Tickets are still available for the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour priced from £35 - £95 (price bands vary at each venue)

All ticket prices are subject to a booking fee and may be subject to a venue facility fee.

For more information and to book tickets, visit the official tour site here .

What are the remaining tour dates and times?

25-26 January Leeds First Direct Arena

(Tuesday 25th at 7.30pm, Wednesday 26th at 7.30pm)

27-28 January Newcastle Utilita Arena

(Thursday 27th at 7.30pm, Friday 28th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm)

29-30 January Manchester AO Arena

(Saturday 29th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 30th at 1.30pm & 6.30pm)

01-02 February Sheffield Utilita Arena

(Tuesday 1st at 7.30pm, Wednesday 2nd at 7.30pm)

03-04 February Liverpool M&S Bank Arena

(Thursday 3rd at 7.30pm, Friday 4th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm)

05-07 February Glasgow The OVO Hydro

(Saturday 5th at 3.00pm & 8.00pm, Sunday 6th at 1.30pm & 6.30pm, Monday 7th at 7.30pm)

09-10 February Nottingham Motorpoint Arena

(Wednesday 9th at 7.30pm, Thursday 10th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm)

11-13 February London The O2 Arena

(Friday 11th at 7.30pm, Saturday 12th at 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sunday 13th at 1.30pm & 6.30pm)

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Event Details

It's time to dust off those scoring paddles and get those dancing shoes ready, because the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour is back for 2024!  Strictly legends Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood return to take up their judging seats and It Takes Two ’s Janette Manrara is back as tour host.

The Strictly Live Tour will dazzle audiences on the 3rd and 4th of February 2024 at Manchester's AO Arena. Celebrities and professional dancers joining the tour will be announced soon.

Strictly’s Head Judge Shirley Ballas said: “I’m delighted to be judging the Strictly Live Tour once again - there is never a dull moment alongside Anton and Craig! The audiences are always electric, the atmosphere is amazing, and Anton has promised me lots of surprises! I can’t wait for January next year when we get the show on the road!”

Anton Du Beke said: "It was my first Strictly tour earlier this year and I was blown away by the scale and spectacle of the live experience. So, I'm thrilled to be back with all the gang next year and look forward to another incredible tour."

Craig Revel Horwood said: “What better way to start the new year than with the Strictly Live Tour! It’s going to be gorgeous to be back on the road with Shirley, Anton, and Janette. Joining us to entertain you all will be an A-MAZ-ING line-up of celebrities and professional dancers from this year’s series. And, as you would expect, we will have a few extra special surprises in store for the arena audiences along the way. One word, three syllables - FAB-U-LOUS!”

Janette Manrara said: “What an incredible way to kick off 2024! I am always so honoured to host the live tour as it brings everything that viewers love about the Strictly TV show to thousands of people around the UK. It’s a great night out for all the family - I just can’t wait!”

Strictly Come Dancing returned to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 16 September for its 21 st series with an all-new exciting celebrity and pro dancer line-up and an array of incredible dance routines. Strictly's Live Tour celebrates all the joy of the TV series, showcasing the amazing choreography and fantastic live music that Strictly is synonymous with – providing audiences of all ages up and down the country the opportunity to experience everything they love about the TV show live on stage in their hometown or city.

Not only are the arena audiences treated to the spectacular roof-raising routines, but they are also granted the power to decide who wins the coveted Glitterball Trophy at the end of each show. The tour judges will of course provide their invaluable wisdom, advice and scores at each performance - we couldn’t stop them if we tried - but the ultimate power lies with the audience. A text for their favourite couple is all it takes; their votes will decide who wins!

As with the 2023 tour, each performance will host a British Sign Language interpreter, who will be displayed on two very large screens on either side of the stage so that audiences can book tickets and sit almost anywhere in the arena to enjoy the experience with family and friends.

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For beauty and fashion style advice, join in our Style forum chat.

What to wear to Strictly Come Dancing tomorrow???

JobCarHouseNoBaby · 18/11/2011 22:22

Ok got last minute tickets to the live Children in Need show at Wembley tomorrow night and am at a complete loss as to what to wear! The dress code on the tickets says "glamorous, strictly no jeans" and I have heard that people can be turned away if not suitably dressed. So DP will be in smart shirt, tie, cufflinks, trousers etc. Not sure whether he should wear a suit jacket too. I presume that I need to wear a dress but don't know how dressy to go, IYSWIM.... prom style dress or LBD? Are sequins mandatory? Has anyone been to Strictly???

I went three years ago and wore a plainish cocktail dress. Was definitely over-dressed compared to the rest of the audience. And cold. There was a lot of waiting around.

Black trousers and a sparkly top?

Thanks ladies, have nipped into Debenhams this morning and got a cardi and some thick black tights to go with a black dress I have. Hoping not too overdressed.... it's in the Arena rather than the Stadium so hoping not too cold. Wish me luck!

I'm going too!!!! Have been trying for tickets for years. We're right at the back but hopefully it will still be a-ma-zing darling

tell us who was voted off!!!! post pics and in interval if mobile got web post an update ?

Oh how exciting. Have a great time. Will be watching

you lucky lucky bastard.

I am green with envy. Love Strictly!

Surely Anita

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Sagrada Familia Dress Code | What to Wear During Your Visit?

Being the most famous attraction in Barcelona, it is important to maintain the la Sagrada Familia dress code while planning your visit . Basilica de la Sagrada Familia or the Basilica of the Holy Family has been the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church since 1882. Its design is attributed to world-renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi whose work has been declared part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2010, Sagrada Familia was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI who announced it to be a minor basilica.

Why does Sagrada Familia have a dress code?

Sagrada Familia is the centre of Catholic morality and religion in Barcelona. In fact, it is the biggest Catholic church in Spain. Thus, in order to maintain the sanctity of the basilica visitors must be dressed appropriately according to the rules set in place. The dress code mentions the outfit familiar to that observed at any active Catholic cathedral clothing. As a religious establishment, Sagrada Familia holds the right to refuse entry into the basilica if visitors violate the dress code and are not in appropriate attire.

Dress Code in Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia Dress Code- Men

• Men are allowed to wear T-shirts and shirts that do not have any offensive/distracting designs and promotional content.
• Trousers or jeans that are full length can be worn. Shorts that are below the knee level can also be worn.
• Sleeveless tank tops, vests and hats are not allowed.
• No swimwear can be worn.

Sagrada Familia Dress Code- Women

• Women can wear blouses and tops with sleeves that completely cover the shoulders.
• Dresses and tops that are backless or have a deep neckline are not allowed.
• Trousers or skirts that come below knee level are allowed.
• No hats or swimwear.

Sagrada Familia Dress Code- Children

• The same rules as adults apply to children
• Shirts and tops have to cover the shoulders 
• Trousers that come below the thighs are allowed
• No swimwear or hats

What can you wear to Sagrada Familia?

• Shirts and tops covering the shoulders - When you are visiting Sagrada Familia, remember to wear clothing with sleeves that completely cover your shoulders. Make sure to carry shawls and jackets. 
• Full trousers and mid-length skirts - Visitors are required to wear skirts and trousers that come below the mid-thighs. Full trousers or jeans are recommended options but make sure to wear light cotton trousers during the summers. 
• Shoes - You will have a lot of walking to do inside Sagrada Familia. So make sure to wear proper flat shoes. Visitors entering barefoot and wearing open sandals or flip-flops are strictly not allowed. 

What can you not wear to Sagrada Familia?

• See-through clothing - Men, women and children are not allowed to wear transparent or translucent clothing inside Sagrada Familia. Make sure to wear opaque clothes with a proper lining on the inside. 
• Swimwear - Visitors are not allowed to enter Sagrada Familia in bathing suits or any kind of swimsuits.
• Low cuts and sleeveless clothing - Make sure to not wear sleeveless clothing while visiting Sagrada Familia. Any kind of low cuts at the neck and the back, off-shoulder tops, tank tops and blouses with spaghetti straps are not allowed. 
• Skirts and shorts above the knee - Visitors wearing any kind of bottom wear that rises above the knees are not allowed. 
• Hats and offensive tattoos - All hats and caps must be removed before entering Sagrada Familia unless for medical or religious reasons. Tattoos, T-shirt designs and other symbols that are deemed offensive to the basilica and the Catholic religion are strictly prohibited.
• Barefoot and flip-flops - Visitors are not allowed to enter Sagrada Familia without appropriate footwear. Flip-flops are also a big no.
• Promotional and festival costumes - Visitors of all religions and faiths are not allowed to wear elaborate costumes with distracting designs and decorations as well as clothing with promotional content on them.

What to do if you are not dressed according to the guidelines at Sagrada Familia and need last-minute changes?

• There are a few shops near Sagrada Familia where you can buy clothes if you are not dressed according to the dress code of the cathedral and need last-minute changes. Here are a few options:
• La Boqueria Market:  This large market is located just a few blocks from Sagrada Familia and has a variety of shops selling clothes, souvenirs, and food. There is a good chance you will find something suitable here, even if it is not high-end fashion
• El Corte Inglés:  This large department store is located a bit further away from Sagrada Familia, but it has a wider selection of clothes than La Boqueria Market. You are sure to find something here that meets your needs, but it may be more expensive.
• There are also a number of small shops and boutiques located in the streets around Sagrada Familia.  These shops tend to be more expensive than the larger stores, but they may have a more unique selection of clothes.

Book Sagrada Familia tickets and tours

Frequently asked questions about sagrada familia dress code.

Yes, Sagrada Familia has a temple dress code that visitors must follow and they reserve the right to refuse access to those who violate the set dress code.

Visitors are required to dress appropriately by covering their shoulders and wearing trousers/skirts that come below the mid-thighs. Hats, swimwear and costumes with promotional content or offensive/distracting designs are not allowed.

No. Visitors who are barefoot or wearing flip-flops and open sandals are not allowed inside Sagrada Familia.

No. Shorts and skirts that are way above the knee level are not allowed.

Backpacks are allowed inside Sagrada Familia after a thorough search. It is recommended to travel light and carry smaller bags.

No. Hats or caps are not allowed in Sagrada Familia unless for medical and religious requirements.

Yes, all visitors must wear appropriate shirts/T-shirts and tops that completely cover their shoulders. Hence, make sure to carry a shawl or a jacket in case you are wearing sleeveless clothing.

Yes. Jeans are allowed in Sagrada Familia. However, make sure to wear something light like cotton trousers during the summer.

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Princess Charlotte nailed Taylor Swift's Eras tour dress code in a Fearless -coded sequin dress

By Emily Tannenbaum

Prince William celebrated his 42nd birthday by taking Princess Charlotte and Prince George to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.

While the Wales family were not spotted in the VIP tent alongside Jason and Kylie Kelce, The Sunday Times' royal editor Roya Nikkhah reported that the royal trio were among 90,000 Swifties at Wembley Stadium on June 21. Those rumours were quickly confirmed with an iconic fan-recorded video of Prince William dancing to Shake It Off .

We've been loving Taylor for quite some time, time, time.

By Lian Brooks

And while Taylor Swift doesn't always have time to link up with famous fans before or after the show (just ask Travis Kelce), she made an exception for the Wales family. On June 22, Swift and the Prince of Wales shared photographic evidence of the meet-up on Instagram.

“Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start,” Swift captioned a selfie with William, George, Charlotte, and Kelce while dressed in the black sequins pinstripe blazer she wears to perform The Man .

Instagram content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales shared the moment from another angle, posting a photo of Swift taking another selfie with her royal fans without the NFL player. “Thank you @taylorswift for a great evening,” read the caption . Do you think Kelce got cut from the snap because he was wearing a Team USA hat?

By Emma Howarth

By Bianca London

By Meg Walters

Supporters of the royal family were struck by how joyful all three royals appeared in the snaps, especially nine-year-old Charlotte, who was dressed in a Fearless -coded sequinned dress with a cute braided hairstyle. “Charlotte is a real Swiftie – she even got the dress code,” one user commented , while another wrote , “This is actually the cutest picture ever. Core memory for Charlotte right there.”

Others pointed out that her brother and father looked just as happy to be there, with one fan joking that Prince William is the “real Swiftie,” and just brought his two eldest children “as a cover up!” Meanwhile, one user wrote , “Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte are the Swifties we didn’t know we needed, and I am here for it! Just look at their collective unbridled JOY!”

The Eras era is upon us.

By Fiona Ward and Meg Walters

Joy seemed to be the theme for Prince William's birthday. Just hours before the concert, the Wales' official Instagram page shared the latest family portrait captured by Kate Middleton. In the photo, which appeared to be taken on the same day as the Father's Day portrait shared earlier this month, William holds hand with their three children as they take a big jump on a sandy beach.

“Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much,” read the caption , which was signed by the Princess of Wales with a “Cx.”

Clearly, they found the perfect way to celebrate on the big day.

This article originally appeared on GLAMOUR US.

By Sophie Cockett

Find anything you save across the site in your account

Princess Charlotte Nailed Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Dress Code in a Fearless -Coded Sequined Dress

By Emily Tannenbaum

Prince William celebrated his 42nd birthday by bringing Princess Charlotte and Prince George to see Taylor Swift ’s Eras Tour.

While the Wales family were not spotted in the VIP tent alongside Jason and Kylie Kelce , The Sunday Times ’s royals editor reported that the royal trio were among 90,000 Swifties at Wembley Stadium on June 21. Those rumors were quickly confirmed with fan-recorded video of Prince William dancing to “Shake It Off.”

And while Taylor Swift doesn’t always have time to link up with famous fans before or after the show ( just ask Travis Kelce ), she made an exception for the Wales family. On June 22, Swift and the Prince of Wales shared photographic evidence of the meetup on Instagram.

“Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start 🇬🇧🇺🇸🤝,” Swift captioned a selfie she took with William, George, Charlotte, and Kelce while dressed in the black sequined pinstripe blazer she wears to perform “The Man.”

Instagram content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales shared the moment from another angle, posting a photo of Swift taking another selfie with her royal fans without the NFL player. “Thank you @taylorswift for a great evening,” read the caption . Do you think Kelce got cut from the snap because he was wearing a Team USA hat?

Supporters of the royal family were struck by how joyful all three royals appeared in the snaps, especially nine-year-old Charlotte, who was dressed in a Fearless -coded sequined dress with a cute braided hairstyle. “Charlotte is a real Swiftie she even got the dress code 😭,” one user commented , while another wrote , “This is actually the cutest picture ever. Core memory for Charlotte right there 😍.”

Others pointed out that her brother and father looked just as happy to be there, with one fan joking that Prince William is the “real Swiftie” and brought his two eldest children “as a cover up!” Meanwhile, one user wrote , “Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte are the Swifties we didn’t know we needed, and I am here for it! Just look at their collective unbridled JOY!”

Joy seemed to be the theme for Prince William’s birthday. Just hours before the concert the Waleses’ official Instagram page shared the latest family portrait captured by Kate Middleton . In the photo, which appeared to have been taken on the same day as the Father’s Day portrait shared earlier this month, William holds hand with their three children as they take a big jump on a sandy beach.

“Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much,” read the caption , which was signed by the Princess of Wales with a “Cx.”

Clearly, they found the perfect way to celebrate on the big day.

There’s also a sweet video of Kylie dancing to “Love Story.”

Princess Charlotte channels Princess Kate in glittering sequin dress and boho braids at Taylor Swift concert

The young royal took cues from the princess of wales' famous 'golden girl' jenny packham gown.

Princess Charlotte lived out every nine-year-old girl's dream on Saturday night as she attended Taylor Swift's Eras tour in London. 

The daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales was a glittering golden girl as she stepped out at Wembley with her father, Prince William, and older brother, Prince George . 

The young royal joined thousands of 'Swifties' in dressing up for the occasion, looking every inch a Princess as she wore a glittering rose gold 'Kids Sequin Party Dress' high street brand from John Lewis. 

Decked out in sequins with angelic flutter sleeves and a knee-length skirt, we couldn't help but liken Princess Charlotte's sparkling ensemble to her mother Kate's spellbinding gold Jenny Packham dress worn to the premiere of No Time to Die in 2021.

The stylish young royal's honey-blonde hair was worn in a chic half-up, half-down style, complete with two boho braids. Meanwhile, Prince George was the image of his dad Prince William as the royal duo twinned in jeans and smart blue shirts. 

As the Wales family took to Instagram to thank Taylor Swift for her evening, royal fans rushed to comment on the rare selfie. 

"Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte are the Swifties we didn’t know we needed, and I am here for it! Just look at their collective unbridled JOY!" penned one fan, as another wrote: "Aaaaaa! Who is happier, the Swifty or the royals. Heaven for both I bet!" 

"Love this! We forget that your children are just like any other and are Swifties!" read a third comment. 

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Princess charlotte's twinning style moments with the princess of wales.

The Wales family's outing comes shortly after the Princess of Wales made a welcome return to the spotlight at Trooping the Colour last weekend - her first public appearance in six months amid her ongoing treatment for cancer. 

As Princess Kate looked divine in an upcycled Jenny Packham gown adorned with a striped bow, her daughter Charlotte echoed her mother's beauty in a nautical-inspired outfit that took cues from Kate's look. 

Charlotte epitomised regal style in a navy sailor dress. Adorned with sweet bows, white piping around the neckline and sleeves and smart drop waist, the nine-year-old royal looked poised and elegant, just like her mother.

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• Princess Charlotte
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