Chelsea Flower show

[susiwong]

Am hoping for some advice from people who may know! I’m wanting to buy tickets for the show next May for my husband for Christmas. I’ve had a look at tickets and can buy Thursday onwards (public tickets) but I understand it can be really busy, so am wondering if it’s worth buying RHS membership so we can go on one of the quieter members-only days. Is it worth the extra for membership or is it silly money just to get a slightly quieter day? Would I need to get joint membership to buy us both a ticket or can a member buy more than one ticket? And lastly, does anyone know if here are actually tickets available for the early two days - it won’t show you member tickets availability or prices unless you have a membership, and I don’t want to buy membership if there are no tickets left on those days!

It will be really busy all of the days because it is Chelsea but there will be quieter bits you can sneak off to.

It really isn't any quieter on RHS days. I would plan to get there early or buy everything tickets (if they still do them!)

Agree it’s just as busy on member days. Discount for being a member is pretty mean too! There are tickets and prices are ( to nearest £): Tuesday £125, Wednesday £116, Thursday/Friday £104, Friday late £91 and Saturday £97. Maximum 4 tickets per member so only one of you would need to join.

I had a ticket bought for me about three years ago on a general public day, and I got to the gates about 10 minutes before they opened. You do get a good hour and a half before it gets really crowded, so that is the best time to go and look at the big show gardens. Otherwise you are craning your neck over crowds and can't see for toffee. All the rest of it will be really busy whichever day you go.

Always busy regardless of the day
But a lovely day out

We went from mid afternoon on a public day and by 5:30 it was much quieter.

Yikes, sounds like they massively increased prices? I went in 2023 on the Wednesday when it cost £48 for a member ticket for 3.30pm-8pm, that was enough time for me. It was also boiling hot and I was glad to avoid the worst of the midday sun. Definitely quieter in the evening.

Btw I'm sure you know but you can't access the gardens and will get better views of some gardens (not all) on the BBC. But real life gives you a better impression of scale.

Have you thought about Hampton court flower show? Ive been twice and as its a much larger site it doesnt feel so crowded and theres more open space just to sit down for a bit. Biggest bonus is that you can buy plants there which you cant at chelsea until the last day.

Next one isn’t til 2027 as they are alternate years now. Agree it’s a bit less crowded than Chelsea.

You would only need one RHS membership as one member can buy up to four tickets. There appear to be tickets available for all days, but the ones for 3:30pm and 5:30pm entry are sold out for the first two days.

I took these screenshots of the member prices for two tickets just now (photos attached, it may take a while for them to show up).

I would aim to get there at 7.30am, as the queue gets quite substantial in the morning. Yes it is crowded, it’s part of the experience and you have to accept that. If you want to make a day out of it, you need to book a restaurant asap - they all sell out, some of them are probably already sold out. It can be hard to find a place to sit and eat if you’re buying from one of the food truck type places. Also if it’s pissing down (which it often is), it’s nice to have a place to dry and warm out. The restaurants are very expensive and poor value for money, but you are a captive audience so you have to shrug and accept you are being fleeced.

I agree that you can buy more plants at Hampton, however you can also buy plants at Chelsea from day one, just go inside the tent.

Also tradition dictates flowery dresses. It’s quite fun, though not at all mandatory. But make sure you wear sensible footwear (trainers/wellies).