American Express Presents BST Hyde Park

This was our first time at BST and we were blown away by Van the man, Yusuf - Cat Stevens and Neil Young who were so amazing and they all reminded the audience why the world needs music particularly right now. I was also very impressed by the attention to detail regarding access, it was the most accessible music event that I've ever been to and they definitely deserve the gold star award from ‘Attitude is Everything’. The viewing platform was in a brilliant location with lots of room and a clear view of the stage; I really loved the symbolism of the platform being in front of the VIP area. I also felt safe while still being able to enjoy the electric atmosphere at all times. The venue really showed what is possible regarding disabled access without comprising the experience; other music festivals have a lot to learn from their example, especially regarding tracking - it was so smooth and that made the whole experience so much better. I have to give a shout out to the BSL performers who absolutely transformed the performance with air guitar and all; ‘The Damage Done’ was even more powerful in sign language, in fact, it gave another dimension to the overall performance! The only negative thing that I would say is that the venue booking system made things unnecessarily difficult by making us think that we had to download the app in order to enter but when we arrived the staff said that there was no problem and they would always have printed tickets available on site. Everything else was fine though, thanks to the staff for making it so seamless. It was also great to attend the event in the gorgeous Hyde Park and the path leading into the main area was nice and smooth too. After that, we went to the accessible check in area; there was no problem checking in and staff then led us to the viewing platform. I saw that induction loops were available at check-in too. We were informed that there were two different viewing platforms available in accordance with different needs: one for physical disabilities and the other for hidden disabilities. Although I never got any pictures, the Changing Places toilet was available along with the more basic disabled toilets (all of which were close by). I would love to go again thanks to Van Morrison, Yusef and especially Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts for a wonderful show; I can still hear the crowd belting out Keep on Rocking in the Free World! Thanks BST for a great night.

We booked free Blue badge parking by the Prince Albert monument where there are accessible WCs and a free shuttle service to the accessible gate! The accessibility has been very well thought out and every effort has been made to promote accessibility

One of the best venues/festivals I have attended in recent years. Fantastic facilities and the bar platform service is extremely helpful. The view from the platform is outstanding. The communications from the accessibility team prior to attending really helped me manage and prepare for the journey and conditions within the park. The only part I felt unprepared for, was entering and exiting the viewing platforms which required navigating through large crowds. I'm unclear if this is usually circumvented by arriving and leaving early but it would definitely have helped to have this information in advance. Overall it was a fantastic event and concert and I would revisit in future. I am confident the BST accessibility team will continue to build and improve the experience.