last night of the proms

[nextqueen]

has anyone ever been to this? if so, do you need to go equipped with anything in particular? on tv i have seen people in the crowd joining in, is this just the immediate crowd infront of the stage or the whole theatre/hall?

[mollykins]

I kind of went to the one in Hyde park.

We went to London to see an ABBA tribute thing in hyde park, but we got there the day before, which meant we could go see the last night of the proms. We didn't pay, so just sat on some chairs, just outside the gates, and had jsut as good a view as some people who had paid god knows what, to be 10 metres nearer!

[Buenchico]

The 'promenaders' (i.e. those who stand at the front) nearly all take flags and often dress specially for the occasion (for example, in Edwardian costumes). Others are usually content to simply take flags. They're certainly not compulsory but, as this picture shows, a lot of people like to wave them:
http://www.digiscreen...2009/07/proms-2mb.jpg

Incidentally, you wrote 'theatre/hall'. Although the BBC Proms take place across several venues, the Last Night is always in the Royal Albert Hall, with tickets being allocated by ballot (and being about as hard to get hold of as tickets for the Men's Final at Wimbledon!).

Chris

[mollykins]

I was dispointed when they didn't do the song with the horns. Perhaps they did at the albert hall, but they didn't show it on the big screens, or perform it at Hyde park.

[Eve]

Definitely take some flags to wave! I find a cheeky supply of whisky also comes in handy later on in the evening as it gets colder :)

I went to a mini proms in the park a few weeks back with a local orchestra playing in Manchester's Hyde Park, it was fantastic and loads of flag waving, singing, cheering and fireworks!

We had a proper set up with camping chairs and a table with all sorts of posh nibbles, home brew and some warming whiskey for the end of the evening.

I'm off to the main local one next weekend with the BBC Philharmonic, John Barrowman commentating I think, and a live link up to the Albert Hall.

We're planning to dress up, weather permitting, the lads are thinking Tuxes and there is a bottle of posh champagne on standby. We were going to do the table, candles and all that thing but they seem to be clamping down and no tables allowed this year (maybe due to space) so it might have to be a posh picnic blanket instead!

[fredpuli47]

Proms in the Park is worth going to. The atmosphere is one of a mass outdoor picnic. The music is popular classical and the famous bit of the Last Night is relayed from the Albert Hall, just down the road.
The Last Night in the Albert Hall itself? Impossible (or extremely expensive) to get tickets now (and some 'tickets' are forgeries ). You have to book for at least (I think) 5 Prom concerts to stand a real chance of a ticket.That doesn't guarantee one. (I booked for16 concerts this year and didn't get one, though I usually do).
Dress how you like. The audience is comprised of those in smart evening wear, those in Edwardian dress, those in eccentric or fancy dress and those who are the regular scruffs!
Everybody joins in the singing (the words are printed in the programme, so there's no excuse not to!).