The Proms

The Proms concerts last for eight weeks—it's a nightly summer season bonanza of music—and the number of concerts and events hover close to 100. A lot of it is classical, but there's plenty of tasters for people who like film scores and musicals, as opposed to a symphony or concerto. It's cheap too—supposedly the world's most democratic music festival. The main venue is the Albert Hall, which hosts 70 concerts of its own, but there are also a series of chamber concerts and the Proms in the Park for everyone who prefers to listen out in the open. There are people who have a season ticket and can attend all the concerts, but in most cases you have to buy your ticket on the day—which could be more democratic if it didn't exclude people who have to go to work in the morning—but it is quite entertaining to go by on the bus and see all the little grey-haired ladies in a neat queue. Traditionally the thing to do is to stand for the performances. The initial idea was to promenade around the hall and have a little indoor picnic, but that's not allowed any more, and you can buy seated tickets if that's a more realistic option for you.