7 replies to this topic

[kevthedrummer]

Hi everyone. I'm going to be attending the Festival of Speed for the first time this year and I'm just looking for some advice on which tickets to purchase. Is it okay to get general admission or would I be better off in a grandstand? Thanks in advance.

[Tim Murray]

It depends where your interests lie, and how many days you're going for. I'm not that bothered about seeing them go up the hill (fairly slowly in the majority of cases these days), so tend to spend most of my time wandering in the paddocks. If your main interest is in seeing them on the hill, you would be well advised to either get a grandstand seat or bag a good trackside spot early on in the day and hang on to it.

[James Page]

I agree entirely with Tim - it very much depends on what you want to do. When I've been, most of my time has been spent in the paddock, with the occasional foray on to the hill to see someone/something particularly interesting. In that case, there's usually a spot to be found on the terrace-style stands, and so the general admission ticket has done nicely.

As Tim said, most things potter up fairly slowly, but it's nice to see certain driver/car combinations reunited, and the modern F1 stuff is worth finding a spot for, if only for the rare occasions when someone dispenses with the boring donut/burnout routine and 'has a go'.

Be prepared for it to be exceptionally busy in the paddock, though! Actually, it'll be exceptionally busy everywhere…

[kevthedrummer]

Cheers guys. It's a ten hour drive from where I live so I've decided to make the most of it and go for the three days. Sounds like general admission might be the way to go.

[James Page]

If you're going for all three days, that's undoubtedly the best bet. It's a fantastic event, you'll love it.

[RAP]

I agree with everything already said but by day three you might appreciate a sit-down!!

[LotusElise]

There is normally some room on the free terrace stands if you need to sit down.
It's also worth going further up the hill as it is often less crowded and you can sit on the grass. It is a longer walk than it looks to get to the top paddock though!

We always go on the Saturday - all the cars go up twice so we time our paddock visits around what we've already seen.

[kevthedrummer]

Thanks again for the advice everyone. I've booked my tickets, general admission. As it turns out I won't be there until Saturday after all as the good lady doesn't finish her work until Friday lunchtime. Never mind. We're going to the F1 at Silverstone next month so no doubt it will be an interesting comparison between the two experiences.