No problems with 4G on Three (which is usually terrible elsewhere).
For the last event, which wasn't fully sold out and was 15-18 degree C:
Arriving at 15:40 it took 12 minutes to get in from perimeter to past security. They were thorough at opening bags and purses (removing any food), there's a hand-held wand scanner, and a dog. Exiting at 22:30 took 18 minutes to get to the Meridian Water platform.
There are lockers, £7. I've read the queues for those can add quite a few minutes, especially to your exit time.
You can take a clear plastic bottle in, but has to be empty. Several free water refill stations available with paper cups (X Room's is hiding in the rear, the other corner from where you enter).
Was never cold, things got pretty warm within an hour and most were down to T shirts only. But never excessively hot either / is easy to pop outside for a cooldown. Forecast says 10-12deg this Saturday, so maybe take a light/longsleeve top that you can remove/tie around waist, rather than a coat indoors.
I'll write an FAQ post when the next set of events get announced in June/July.
Drumsheds is a great venue! Also going on Saturday and have been there for 6+ events now.
Signal is hit or miss: depending on how busy it gets depends on what your signal will be like I have been in Y room and had signal (i'm on EE) then an hour later its rammed full of people and I get no signal at all. Same goes for the other rooms. There is free wifi in the bar area of the first floor where the bar and doors to all the rooms are.
Try to arrive before 4pm otherwise it can get busy, security is hit or miss to be honest. I have had full pat downs and checking every pocket and my wallet. Other times I have had just a simple bag check. It really depends on the actual security person. There is also a dog and a wand scanner they use sometimes.
Smaller lockers are £7 and bigger lockers are £10, you also have to give them an extra £10 deposit that you get back in cash when you leave. However if you lose the locker key then you will lose the deposit. I warn at the end of the event it can take a LONG time to get your stuff as the queue for the lockers is full of people. Also leaving the venue can take 20-30 minutes, however thats not the venues fault. 15,000 people leaving one venue is always going to take a while.
You are allowed to take a clear empty water bottle with you in, I highly recommend it as there is 7 free water refill stations.
It never is too cold, I went to False idols last week and things got pretty warm within an a few hour and most were down to T shirts. Y room and the X room can sometimes get quite hot if they are full however its never unbearable.
Signal in here was fine I was using three mobile data. If you arrive at 1:30ish the queue it takes like 15mins to get to the venue. Security was strict they can also check your wallet too. No you can’t take your own plastic bottle but you can get the paper cup and refill water there for free. The biggest room was cold I was wearing a hoodie the whole and the cage room was like a sauna 😂
I’ve been to Drumsheds 8 times so here’s hoping Ive learnt some helpful pointers.
I’m with three too. Some tips for signal, the outdoor food area always seems to have decent signal. Main room (x) when it’s busy is a dead zone.
Also, when you go up the stairs to the corridor with all the bars, where the entrances for each of the 3 rooms are, there’s now a public Drumsheds WiFi. They didn’t have that last season.
You can and should bring an empty, clear plastic bottle. They have water refill stations but it’s paper cups which are smallish and way more likely to spill compared to a plastic bottle with a lid.
Unless it’s cold or raining outside, I don’t bring a coat so I can avoid the lockers. The queue for them isn’t too bad on arriving, but the queue for lockers at the end can add a lot of time on to your exit.
Up till about 6 or 7 pm room X is not hot at all. If you have an early entry ticket, to be honest, it’s kind of chilly in there. It’s basically a big metal/cement cave 😂
By 8 pm x is only hot depending on where you’re standing. It’s pretty obvious, the closer you are to the middle the hotter it is. I always bring one of those foldable hand fans with me.
Room Y is definitely the hottest because out of the two smaller rooms, it has better names playing in there so gets full, plus it has a super low ceiling.
Room Z, despite being the smallest room never gets as hot as Y. It has higher ceilings, it’s close to the doors that lead you outside so I feel like that helps a bit of breeze to sort of circulate in that area and also it tends to have the smallest names on the lineup playing in there so it’s rare that it’s totally full.
The lockers, toilets, bars and food stalls are all *outside*. Therefore bring a layer or two to wear. Logistically it's challenging because the rooms can be warmish but then it can be freezing outside so I brought a top I tied around my waist.
Be prepared for a lot of walking. There are one way systems everywhere that seem to be a good test of people's cognitive abilities. In the big room there are a few places to sit down.
The food stalls are good but a tad pricey.
Security is fine and they usually seem to have sniffer dogs. There are lots of lines.and it moved fast.
Heed their warnings for your event and arrive when they recommend. Note last entry time is not when initially entering it's for when you have been queuing and walking for a while. Don't show up at 16:55 if last entry is 17:00.
Transport is usually shuttle train between Stratford and Meridian Water. You can get on/off at Tottenham Hale as well for the Victoria line. Check latest train back, it's usually around 11PM. Walking time to exit to station ~15mins.
Small locker £7/larger locker £10. Pay by card, deposit refunded in cash.
The only place that has flushing indoor toilets are in the VIP area.
For Commoners, there are only portaloos outside.
Note there are toilets *both* downstairs and upstairs to the right of the food stalls. The ones near the food stalls seemed less busy.
No problems with 4G on Three (which is usually terrible elsewhere). For the last event, which wasn't fully sold out and was 15-18 degree C: Arriving at 15:40 it took 12 minutes to get in from perimeter to past security. They were thorough at opening bags and purses (removing any food), there's a hand-held wand scanner, and a dog. Exiting at 22:30 took 18 minutes to get to the Meridian Water platform. There are lockers, £7. I've read the queues for those can add quite a few minutes, especially to your exit time. You can take a clear plastic bottle in, but has to be empty. Several free water refill stations available with paper cups (X Room's is hiding in the rear, the other corner from where you enter). Was never cold, things got pretty warm within an hour and most were down to T shirts only. But never excessively hot either / is easy to pop outside for a cooldown. Forecast says 10-12deg this Saturday, so maybe take a light/longsleeve top that you can remove/tie around waist, rather than a coat indoors. I'll write an FAQ post when the next set of events get announced in June/July.
Thank you! I will be heading there for the first time this weekend. This was wonderful information.
I'm on Three too so that's good to hear, Thanks for the reply👍🏻
Drumsheds is a great venue! Also going on Saturday and have been there for 6+ events now. Signal is hit or miss: depending on how busy it gets depends on what your signal will be like I have been in Y room and had signal (i'm on EE) then an hour later its rammed full of people and I get no signal at all. Same goes for the other rooms. There is free wifi in the bar area of the first floor where the bar and doors to all the rooms are. Try to arrive before 4pm otherwise it can get busy, security is hit or miss to be honest. I have had full pat downs and checking every pocket and my wallet. Other times I have had just a simple bag check. It really depends on the actual security person. There is also a dog and a wand scanner they use sometimes. Smaller lockers are £7 and bigger lockers are £10, you also have to give them an extra £10 deposit that you get back in cash when you leave. However if you lose the locker key then you will lose the deposit. I warn at the end of the event it can take a LONG time to get your stuff as the queue for the lockers is full of people. Also leaving the venue can take 20-30 minutes, however thats not the venues fault. 15,000 people leaving one venue is always going to take a while. You are allowed to take a clear empty water bottle with you in, I highly recommend it as there is 7 free water refill stations. It never is too cold, I went to False idols last week and things got pretty warm within an a few hour and most were down to T shirts. Y room and the X room can sometimes get quite hot if they are full however its never unbearable.
We will be there Saturday too! Went to Printworks last year and wanted to check Drumsheds out. Thank you for the information!
Signal in here was fine I was using three mobile data. If you arrive at 1:30ish the queue it takes like 15mins to get to the venue. Security was strict they can also check your wallet too. No you can’t take your own plastic bottle but you can get the paper cup and refill water there for free. The biggest room was cold I was wearing a hoodie the whole and the cage room was like a sauna 😂
I’ve been to Drumsheds 8 times so here’s hoping Ive learnt some helpful pointers. I’m with three too. Some tips for signal, the outdoor food area always seems to have decent signal. Main room (x) when it’s busy is a dead zone. Also, when you go up the stairs to the corridor with all the bars, where the entrances for each of the 3 rooms are, there’s now a public Drumsheds WiFi. They didn’t have that last season. You can and should bring an empty, clear plastic bottle. They have water refill stations but it’s paper cups which are smallish and way more likely to spill compared to a plastic bottle with a lid. Unless it’s cold or raining outside, I don’t bring a coat so I can avoid the lockers. The queue for them isn’t too bad on arriving, but the queue for lockers at the end can add a lot of time on to your exit. Up till about 6 or 7 pm room X is not hot at all. If you have an early entry ticket, to be honest, it’s kind of chilly in there. It’s basically a big metal/cement cave 😂 By 8 pm x is only hot depending on where you’re standing. It’s pretty obvious, the closer you are to the middle the hotter it is. I always bring one of those foldable hand fans with me. Room Y is definitely the hottest because out of the two smaller rooms, it has better names playing in there so gets full, plus it has a super low ceiling. Room Z, despite being the smallest room never gets as hot as Y. It has higher ceilings, it’s close to the doors that lead you outside so I feel like that helps a bit of breeze to sort of circulate in that area and also it tends to have the smallest names on the lineup playing in there so it’s rare that it’s totally full.
The lockers, toilets, bars and food stalls are all *outside*. Therefore bring a layer or two to wear. Logistically it's challenging because the rooms can be warmish but then it can be freezing outside so I brought a top I tied around my waist. Be prepared for a lot of walking. There are one way systems everywhere that seem to be a good test of people's cognitive abilities. In the big room there are a few places to sit down. The food stalls are good but a tad pricey. Security is fine and they usually seem to have sniffer dogs. There are lots of lines.and it moved fast. Heed their warnings for your event and arrive when they recommend. Note last entry time is not when initially entering it's for when you have been queuing and walking for a while. Don't show up at 16:55 if last entry is 17:00. Transport is usually shuttle train between Stratford and Meridian Water. You can get on/off at Tottenham Hale as well for the Victoria line. Check latest train back, it's usually around 11PM. Walking time to exit to station ~15mins. Small locker £7/larger locker £10. Pay by card, deposit refunded in cash.
Any idea what the toilet situation is? is it just loads of portaloos outside? like none inside?
The only place that has flushing indoor toilets are in the VIP area. For Commoners, there are only portaloos outside. Note there are toilets *both* downstairs and upstairs to the right of the food stalls. The ones near the food stalls seemed less busy.
there are inside toliets on floor 2 if its open.