American Express Presents BST Hyde Park
Parade Ground on the East side of Hyde Park, London, W2 2UH, United Kingdom | 0344 581 0909 | WebsiteOne of the most accessible festivals we've been to!
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This review is especially helpful for those who have or use the following: Powerchair
Overview
In fact it was probably THE most accessible festival we've been to. The view from the accessible platform was great - there was plenty of space and flexible seating layouts - and a bar right there on the platform. Loos were ace - including a Changing Places with a hoist and medi bed. And the staff were super helpful, smily and welcoming! Really impressed with the whole set up & we will definitely be back!
Transport & Parking
Car parking - really not ideal - even though we had Blue Badge parking ticket. The car park itself was narrow and difficult to navigate. The car park was also quite a distance away - and there was a buggy that was available to transport people between the car park and the festival. Unfortunately my pal's powerchair was too big to use the buggy so we had to do a drop off at Hyde Park corner (rather hairy with the traffic whizzing by!). We then went through the park to the entrance which was a series of tarmac paths so easy enough to navigate even if it wasn't the closest. Public transport wise - Green Park is the nearest station and is a wheelchair accessible Underground station.
Access
From the moment we entered the venue we were on plastic 'decking' so it made it easy to get around - it had slanting edges so wasn't a trip hazard either. The accessible viewing area was well signposted. The platform was spacious and had great sightlines - it had folding chairs so people could arrange themselves as they wished. There was a chap with a cool bag on the platform so you could get drinks almost without leaving your seat. There was also a wheelchair charging point on the platform. You could tell a lot of thought had gone into disabled access at the festival! It's worth noting that we visited on a dry summer's day so I'm sure that we would have found it a little more tricky in torrential rain.
Toilets
Wow what a joy!! These were absolutely ace! Firstly there was a Changing Places complete with Hoist, Medi Bed etc. There were at least 6 accessible loos - and they were all massive. There was a decent walkway up to them too.
Staff
Every member of staff that we came across was ACE! Even the security staff who have given us hassle at other festivals. A definite shout out to the Manager of the Accessible Platform - who made the whole event for us by letting us stay together as a group on the platform He was wearing shorts and sunglasses - you know who you are!
Anything else you wish to tell us?
If every festival was like this the world would be a better place! Other festivals could learn a lot from this one! A chilled out festival experience - every festival should be like this. PS music was great too!
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