Visitor Information - Championship Section Final 2024
THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL, KENSINGTON GORE, LONDON. SW7 2AP
20 of Great Britain's finest brass bands will compete at the Championship Section Final of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2024, being held at London's Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 5 October.
TICKETS
Tickets for the Championship Section Final 2024 can only be bought from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office, and will be released in May.
The Box Office is located at Door 12 of the building and is open daily from 9am–9pm. It can be visited in person, called on +44 (0)20 7589 8212, emailed or tweeted. Alternatively, you can book tickets for the event online when they're released.
TEST PIECE
TBC - announced soon
TIMINGS
Doors open: 09:15
Contest begins: 10:00
Last band offstage approx: 18:00
Results Ceremony: 19:30
ACCESSIBILITY
The Royal Albert Hall aims to make your visit to the Hall as comfortable as possible. Please visit the Hall's website to find out more about their services and facilities, including:
> Downloadable PDF Access Guide
> Accessible tickets, facilities & services
> Parking and Transport
> Accessibility FAQs
> Accessibility Request Form
> Venue Plans, including a virtual 360° tour of the Royal Albert Hall
https://www.royalalberthall.com/your-visit/accessibility
CATERING FACILITIES
Restaurants
The Hall's restaurants and bars open two hours before each performance. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are available from all restaurants and advance table reservations are highly recommended. If you have any questions, please email rhubarb, the Hall's caterers, on food@royalalberthall.com or ring +44 (0)20 7959 0579.
Bars
The Royal Albert Hall has bars on every level, each serving a selection of wine, beers, spirits, soft drinks and light snacks before the show. Beat the queues - order your interval drinks before the show, collect them at the break. Available in all bars. All bars have step-free access and are open to all main auditorium ticket holders. You can browse all of the Hall's bar options (sorted by level) below:
ARENA (Basement / Level -1) - Berry Bros. & Rudd No. 3 Bar (light dining may be available – booking recommended); Heineken Green Room (light dining may be available – booking recommended)
STALLS, LOGGIA BOXES + CHOIR (Ground Floor / Level 0) - Aspall BarnCafé Bar (open all day to ticket and non-ticket holders); Door 3 Porch bar; Door 9 Porch bar; Old Speckled Hen Bar
GRAND TIER BOXES (Level 1) - Laurent-Perrier Champagne Bar (light dining available – booking recommended); Stella Artois Bar; Verdi – Italian Kitchen (dining available – booking recommended)
SECOND TIER BOXES (Level 2) - Schweppes Alchemy Bar (light dining available – booking recommended)
RAUSING CIRCLE (Level 3) - The Elgar Room Brasserie (dining available – booking recommended); North Circle Bar
DIRECTIONS
Driving/Parking Directions
IMPERIAL COLLEGE CAR PARK - The Royal Albert Hall is able to offer parking spaces at nearby Imperial College (approximately 5 minutes’ walk away), from 1 hour before the event start time. Entrances are located on Prince Consort Road (evenings only) and Exhibition Road (all day). Spaces must be booked in advance and cost £10.75 (including a 7.5% booking fee). Postcode: SW7 2BX. Parking is only available for cars and not for larger vehicles. Car park vouchers are only valid until 45 minutes after the event. After this, you will be charged at normal hourly rates. Your voucher will only be required when exiting the car park. If you have not received your voucher in advance, please collect it from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office at Door 12 after parking.
PARKING IN THE LOCAL AREA - Strict parking controls are in operation on all public roads around the Hall. Please read parking signs very carefully. Parking information can be found on the Westminster Council website.
COACH PARKING - There is a coach set-down point on Kensington Gore, between the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal College of Art. The nearest coach bays are on Park Lane and the nearest coach park is on Bayswater Road. Transport for London provide information for coach drivers travelling to London, but if you have any specific questions, requirements or requests, please contact the Royal Albert Hall directly.
ACCESSIBLE PARKING - For customers attending events in our main auditorium there are usually ten free parking spaces for Blue Badge holders in the West Car Park. The entrance is located outside Door 8, which has ramped access to the building. To book a space, please have your vehicle registration number to hand and phone the Royal Albert Hall's Access Line on +44 (0)20 7070 4410. On rare occasions the Royal Albert Hall may not be able to offer any Blue Badge parking. Information about roadside Blue Badge parking bays can be found on the Westminster City Council website.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES - Source London provides electric vehicle charging stations, with the following addresses being located within an approximate 5 minutes walk from the Hall: • 170 Queens Gate (outside Imperial College entrance) • 2 De Vere Gardens (nearby intersection of High Street Kensington). Parking is free any time of day for an unspecified period, provided the electric or plug-in hybrid electric car is connected and charging. Free fuel is provided subject to a Source London subscription (currently £5). You can reserve a charging slot via the from the Source London website or app.
Public Transport Directions
For arrival by car, taxi, minibus or Dial-a-Ride, the most convenient set-down point is at Door 1, which is by the building’s south entrance.
Trains/Tube: South Kensington and High Street Kensington are the closest underground stations to the Royal Albert Hall. It takes approximately 10-15 minutes to walk here from either station. The nearest underground station offering step-free access from street to train is Green Park – you can take the number 9 bus to the Hall from there.
Victoria and Paddington are the nearest National Rail stations, each are an approximate 30 minute walk away but offer tube and bus connections.
Buses
Bus Route Nearest stops:
9/N9 Aldwych – Hammersmith RL, RC – Kensington Gore
23 Westbourne Park – Hammersmith RL, RC – Kensington Gore
52/N52 Victoria – Willesden RL, RC – Kensington Gore
70 Acton – South Kensington RS, RD – Queen’s Gate
360 Elephant & Castle – Royal Albert Hall RC, R – Prince Consort Road
452 Wandsworth Road Station – Kensal Rise RL, RC – Kensington Gore
702 Bracknell – Victoria K2, K3 – Kensington Gore
Cabs
Black taxis can usually be hailed from Kensington Gore, outside the front of the building (Door 6). Alternatively you could order a minicab to collect you, but please be aware that we are only able to give approximate timings for the end of this event. For arrivals, the most convenient set-down point is at Door 1.
Cycling
There are a number of public bicycle racks located towards the south side of the building. Bicycles are left on these racks at your own risk and Kapitol Promotions or the Royal Albert Hall cannot take responsibility for any loss or damage. There are several Santander Cycles docking stations within walking distance, the closest one is on Kensington Gore outside the Royal College of Art. For further information visit the Santander Cycles website. You can find the best cycling route to get to the Hall by using the Transport for London cycling pages.
