Longines Royal International Horse Show Info

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Hello everyone.

I hope this is in the right place as this is my first time using these forums. I will be coming from the US to London in July and would like to attend the Longines show at Hickstead. I am planning on the 19 and 20 July.

I have been told that I can stay in Brighton and take the National Express bus to Hickstead which will be walking distance to the show grounds. I hope this is true as I just booked a hotel in Brighton.

I have been looking at tickets online, and I am not clear on the difference between Member's Enclosure tickets and General Admission tickets. Do you have a significantly better view from the ME? I don't care so much about the restaurant access as long as I can get something to eat. What is the general admission seating like? Is it stadium seats?

Also, does either have a dress code? I'm not a big believer in hats and heels for horse shows, so if the ME tickets have a dress code I'll likely go with general admission.

Thanks for any help. If you have other advice that I didn't ask for, please feel free to add it. I've never been to a horse show in the UK before.
 
Have a look at http://www.hickstead.co.uk/horse-shows/the-longines-royal-international-horse-show.aspx. There is a slideshow of photos. The Members area is visible in the photos of the side saddle showing class, the one of Robert Smith jumping and the one of the three people + bouquet of flowers! The general seating open stand is in the background of the scurry driving pic, the eventing Grand Prix pic and in the static photo on the right. The members doesn't, as far as I am aware, have a dress code and it does have a restaurant. The open seating area is for general admission and there is also a covered general seating area next to it. The prize winners line up in front of the Members area so you get a good view of them there but they do laps of honour anyway. I have paid once to get in Members but I wouldn't bother again as it is a lot more expensive but it's up to you . . . . .
 
Thanks Faithkat. The pictures do help. I can't see the people very well in them, but they don't look especially dressed up. I was afraid I would have to do the whole heels/dress/hat thing.

So there is a covered general admission seating? I didn't see that in the pix, but maybe I missed it. Covered sounds good with the unpredictability of the weather. Do they give you an assigned seat with your ticket, or do you just sit wherever is open? Is this the same for general admission and Members?

Is the Members restaurant good?

Thanks again for your help!
 
Hi, general admission will give you access to two seating areas- one covered and one open air. I wouldn't bother with members- it's nice and everything but the view is better from the general
Admissions and of course alot cheaper. If you stay in Brighton and get a Nat Express it will probably drop you in a village called Sayers Common which is basically where hickstead is (it's a small place and no more than a 5 mins walk to the short ground)
P.s if
You decide to go to members, it's not a really dressy affair but usually the RIHS is quite hot so bear in mind you can't really get away with shorts and strappy tops. My advice- get general
Admission- the atmosphere in the stands is great

:)
 
Members is nice but not really necessary. Although you are ringside I think you get a better view from the public stands.

There is a restaurant in the members but it is quite expensive and there are loads of food stands all round the showground. including a food hall where you can buy anything from a bread roll to a joint of beef!
I think the dress code in the members is smart casual. Best to dress for the weather and wear comfy shoes as if you want to see all the rings and tradesstands
 
Members is nice but not really necessary. Although you are ringside I think you get a better view from the public stands.

There is a restaurant in the members but it is quite expensive and there are loads of food stands all round the showground. including a food hall where you can buy anything from a bread roll to a joint of beef!
I think the dress code in the members is smart casual. Best to dress for the weather and wear comfy shoes as if you want to see all the rings and tradestands there is alot of walking.
 
Comfortable shows are a must as there is a lot of walking involved. There a lot of other rings as well as the main arena. There are showing classes all day. I love the International, we should be there on Friday competing in the Mountain and Moorland Working Hunter Pony.
 
We only go in members as have badges due to jumping. It's not posh and there's not the best view in there, esp for the derby. It's a huge arena and I think you get best view from public seats high up. I love the shows there, when it's sunny it's an absolute pleasure, but if it does rain the show ground can turn into a proper mud bath! So be warned! Top tip is there's a really nice restaurant above the warm up ring with terrace, it's a lovely place to eat as you an watch riders warm up.
 
Thanks again for all the advice. Sounds like I should just go with the general admission. I'm going solo so can really just go with the flow. I'm surprised the view is better from general admission as that is the only thing I'd really think would be worth paying more for.

On the National Express website, it shows the stop as:
Hickstead,
Hickstead, A23 slip road, West Sussex, (Towards Gatwick Castle Inn), (From Gatwick Little Chef) West Sussex.
The map seems to be not working on the Nat'l Express site, so I can't actually see where this is. Can anyone comment on walking from here, or do I need another stop? (One of these days I'm going to have to start driving in the UK, although I actually enjoy the challenge of figuring out public transport.)

I heard from someone else on the web who went to Hickstead previously that it was an easy walk from the stop. Hickstead said I should be aware it's on a busy road. Their advice was a taxi from the train station, but the bus sounds easier.

If anyone has any other tips, I'd still like to hear them.
 
A couple more questions that I've thought of:
Is there any reason I need to buy my tix in advance (long queues, limited number of tickets, better seating, etc)? I ask because I can't figure out how to do it on the Hickstead site. If I click on tickets, it asks for a login, with no link to register. Do you have to be a member to book in advance?

Also, does anyone know if the Nat'l Express bus from Brighton to Hickstead is likely to be crowded? I'm trying to decide if I have to book that in advance too.

Thanks!
 
I just checked the ticket site - it would let me choose tickets without logging in....

Probably worth booking the coach in advance so you don't have to worry.
 
Thanks. I did get it to work. For some reason I have to click on the show name 2 or 3 times before it goes to the ticket screen. It helped to know that it worked for you since I figured there must be something I could do to get it to work.
 
If you get into members early and grab a table and chairs at the front, then this is absolutely the best view in the house in terms of getting close to the action! However, those tables are hard to get on the popular days and you don't get to see the entire ring as well as sitting at the top of the main seating area.

Usually you can get free general admission tickets with the BHS magazine etc - there are usually several people on here offering the vouchers nearer the time.

Have no idea about the bus though - I would check exactly how far it is from the showground as I have never seen a bus in all my years of attending the show!

You sit wherever in the showground - members/general admission.

In the members restaurant upstairs I think you have to book - never been up there. There is a bar area which sells sea food type dishes/sandwiches downstairs which is expensive but nice.

As someone else has said, there is a good restaurant overlooking the all weather working in area (not the collecting ring working in but the area a little further down the showground) - that can be quite entertaining!!!
 
Thanks. That's helpful information. I think I will just go with general admission as I doubt I'll get there early enough to get a table up front since I'll be coming on the coach from Brighton. I'm planning to attend on the Thur and Fri (19th and 20th July) as I only have 2 days and would like to see the eventing.

Can I pick up the magazine anywhere? I'm coming from the US but will be in London for a week or so before heading to Brighton. Otherwise I will watch the forums for the vouchers, although I'm not sure how I would get them from someone. I won't have a car, thus the coach from Brighton. I've been told it's not a bad walk. On Transport Direct, it says to take the National Express Airport/747 to Hickstead, The Castle on A23 Slip Road and then walk 19 minutes to the Hickstead Show Jumping Course. Coming back, it says to take either the 747 or 25 airport coach from Hickstead Little Chef. Apparently there's also a local bus but it only runs every couple of hours.

Do you know if I buy my ticket in advance (with an open return?) can I take either coach back or am I locked into a time? I'm not sure what time to book a return for, so I'd rather just buy on the coach but if there are likely to not be seats, I guess I'll have to just guess at a time.
 
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