CE16 Celebration Stage wristbands & queueing (was: How to get in to Hamills stage show)

Excellent point! The main stage holds thousands, how many do realisticly want to sleep there? I think if you arrive early you should be fine.

 

It's unfortunate for people who have travel inn (and don't have the option or willpower to drive in themselves early)
Yes I can argree on the main stage, but your reasoning is also good. With the limit for two we have to prioritize, but more people in totall are gonna get Celebration Stage experiences.

 

Another thing to consider is that for some panels there may be wristbands left. Unlikely, yes, but definitely possible.

Using the first day for example, Rogue One will obviously be the one the fills up first. That's the only panel I think you need to even consider being there over night for. As much as I love Mark Hamill, I don't think anyone will queue over night for his panel. After RO I'd say Mark's will be the most popular. So let's say all those wristbands are gone by 10am (there may or may not be some streaming wristbands left, I don't even want to try and guess at that).

Just because people can't get those two wristbands doesn't automatically mean they'll take a Cosplay or ANH screening wristband instead. They may still go during the day but there's a possibility there will be some capacity left. I can't believe they'd leave seats empty rather than let people into a 3rd panel. I imagine if the wristbands don't all go there will be some type of 1st come 1st served queue for the remaining seats.

 

Just for the Rogue One panel I'd consider waiting hours before. I really want to see that trailer with the crowd, which should be an amazing experience. I don't want to miss that.
I'm just happy we decided to arrive on Thursday already.

 

Wish all this was disclosed in advance so I could have come to London on the Thursday, come to the realisation now that I've got no chance of seeing the RO panel or the Future Filmmakers one as I was planning on getting to the event at 7am.

 

Don't lose all hope yet (especially for Future Filmmakers), remember we still don't know how busy these queues will be and European Celebrations are traditionally not as busy as the US ones. You may still be able to get wristbands at 7am, I would certainly expect streaming wristbands to be available at 7am.

After Thursday night/Friday morning we'll all have a better idea of what the crowds are going to be like. Everyone's talking up doom and gloom on social media but I'm expecting (hoping) we might be pleasantly surprised. I'm certainly not expecting to see thousands of people camping out from 8pm every night. Some sure, but no where near capacity.

 

I pray you're right mate.

 

I'm at the Cantina event at the O2 on Thursday night. Is it best then to get my Friday CE ticket before that?
How early can I go & get it?

 

You can pick your ticket up any time from 8am on Thursday (or 8:00-17:00 on Wednesday as well). One less queue for Friday morning.

 

The ICC auditorium is listed as being capable of seating up to 4500, a bit smaller than the main hall in Essen but I don't think it will be too small... not planning on spending the night in a queue but will definitely line up earlier than I had orginally planned on to get a spot.

 

There will also be overflow rooms for the RO panel and Future Films panel. So if you don't get into the main Celebration stage you will probably get into one of the overflow rooms where they will be screening the panel there too. Also they will be streaming the panel online. So the chances of seeing are pretty good.

 

I'm staying overnight now and am thinking of getting the night bus so I can reach the Excel Centre around 5.20am on the Sunday. If I join the queue then, I'm hoping I should be able to get a wristband for the Future Filmmakers panel. Does anyone know if the night buses are safe?

 

I couldn't say as I have not been on it, depends on how old you are and whether you're male or female. The usual advice about being alert and careful would apply. I think most buses in the UK have security cameras so it should be ok.

Actually, that night bus (route N551) looks interesting and a good alternative to the tube/underground that won't be running after midnight or so.

 

I remember taking one coming out of the Royal Albert Hall several years ago. There were 2 of us and we felt safe. Went round the houses but got us back to our hotel safely.

 

Night buses are usually OK. Some drunk people but they're easily ignored.

 

Night buses are ok. stay downstairs and near the back to be sure. There may be some drunk stragglers heading home but keep conspicuous and youll be just fine.

 

Yes, as others have said nonesuch, you should be fine. Revellers coming home from the night before mostly. If you feel uncomfortable, I'd try to sit as close to the driver as possible.

Guys-still not sure I'm getting the idea of these 'chutes' after picking up the wristbands for the Celebration Stage-if I do queue overnight, and I am successful in getting a wristband, my plan was to go back to my hotel before the Celebration starts at 10am, for a shower and some breakfast-definitely don't want to meet anyone not being 100% fresh in the hygiene department, or subjecting my fellow attendees to an odor! Will I be able to leave Excel after 6am, go away a while and then queue up for the show proper beginning at 10am? Anyone know?

 

This will be my first Celebration also so I am looking forward to it. However, as a severely disabled person I am having concerns now I am reading up on the queuing system in place. I cannot physically cope with being in queues for long periods, so hearing that the Celebration Stage wristband queues require you getting in the queue 4 to 5 hours as a minimum and possibly queuing overnight in order to get any chance of getting a wristband is disheartening.

Especially as I notice that for all the other queues, the organisers have taken the stress etc that those with medical conditions have to deal with when being stuck in lengthy lines into consideration, having put separate queues in place for holders of medical stickers. So there is a medical sticker queue to get into the main hall, a medical sticker queue for getting into the Celebration stage sessions themselves and so on.

But then the all important queue in relation to getting the required wristband passes has no such consideration ! I don't know how other people with severe physical disabilities might manage, but being stuck in a queue for several hours isn't going to do my health any good if I could even manage to bear it and would be detrimental to me over the rest of the day. Queuing overnight is certainly not an option given my disability and fatigue levels

So yes, to say I feel somewhat disadvantaged by the way the organisers are handing out wristbands for the stage sessions on a first come, first served, with apparently no concessions to those of us physically incapable of camping for hours in a queue, is putting it mildly ! Especially when they have dedicated seating slots in the stage sessions for those with medical stickers. (which are of no use to us if we can't cope with having to queue to get the wristbands in the first place!)

I guess I will be missing out on the main Celebration Stage events I was interested in as a result of this then

 

Sorry to hear that Taggle. On reading about the medical badges on the official site it looks like they may have something set up as they just say that you should show up at the specified time for your wristband (implying no line), perhaps a mail to reepop could clarify this. On waiting for the events themselves you need to show up 30 minutes ahead of time to be let in, meaning you can avoid the normal lines.... Anyway, I hope it works out for you!

 

Yes, if I'm reading the same section you are referencing here, it's not ultra clear but it does seem to suggest on first read that where they say "....please go the the specified handout location at the specified time to receive your wristband" they are just referring to joining the default wristband queue. I hope not for the reasons mentioned above. I have sent an email but probably won't get a reply until tomorrow on that, unless anyone in the know is reading this forum replies before that !

 

In my head it makes sense to have a specified number of "medical"-wristbands to go along with the number of medical badges that have been registered. Even though they're vague on the website, I don't think they haven't considered this so you should be fine come next weekend

 

Taggle

As someone who has also been accepted for a medical sticker I sent an email to reedpop on Thursday, but have yet to receive a reply.
However, literally as I was typing out a message on here I received a message on Facebook from the celebration page.

I have asked them to clarify if there will be a separate chute for medical sticker holders to obtain wristbands - I'll update once I know.

2nd edit:

Have had it confirmed that there will be a separate chute to obtain wristbands for those with medical stickers.

 

Will wait with interest, as we already know there are separate medical sticker queues for the stages and sessions etc once inside the hall, that much they seem to make clear but as for getting wristbands, it's not so clear and not helped by the floorplan map which shows all the queue locations etc. (see here http://www.starwarscelebration.com/.../docs/swc-queue-hall.pdf?v=636034987151539047 ) On that map, it clearly marks the medical sticker chute for getting into the hall, so great in that respect. But for the Celebration stage wristband queues, no medical sticker chutes. Hence the concerns and worries about them expecting us with medical issues to simply slug it out for hours in the default queue with the rest of the 'fit' folk (which kind of defeats the point of having medical sticker queues everywhere else ?!