Tips for visitors

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To help you feel at home and make the most of your visit to a Hugglets Festival here are some practical tips. You’ll probably find them helpful even if it’s not your first time. If you think other things should be added to this page please let us know by emailing info@hugglets.co.uk

Please click here for instructions on how to get to Kensington Town Hall. For places to stay you can go to www.visitlondon.com or call the London Tourist board on 020 7932 2000.

Those who arrive before the opening time of 11am will find a queue winding its way down towards Kensington High Street. Some people arrive very early as they are keen to get the best choice of bears from one or other artist but otherwise the main advantage to arriving much before 11am is the free chocolates passed down the line!

(For those very new to bear collecting, ‘bear artist’ is the term given to bear makers who design their own original bears, often one-offs and limited editions.)

Before joining the queue we recommend you obtain your entry ticket from the Hugglets reception desk at the entrance to the halls. If you already have the correct ticket, from the back of the UK Teddy Bear Guide for example, you can join the queue directly.

Tickets cost £4. You can choose to either buy the Guide for £5.95 which includes two free tickets for each event, or just buy a ticket when you arrrive. The Guide contains the contact details of most exhibitors – and a lot more besides. If you prefer to purchase the Guide in advance you can order it online here.

The queue often gets very long but despite this we usually manage to get everyone in within ten minutes because tickets are already held. If someone in the queue doesn’t already have their ticket they just step aside when they get to reception – we sell as fast as possible but a short delay for these ticket buyers is inevitable.

The venue is suitable for wheelchair access (please come directly to reception via the entry point higher up Hornton Street to avoid external stairs). An internal lift is available between the three floors as well as the internal stairs. There are toilet facilities on both the top floor and basement but disabled toilet facilities are limited to the basement.

As the queue enters you'll be asked to hand in your ticket at the door - but before doing so please make sure you complete your prize draw details on the back. There are four draws held on the hour starting at mid-day. The prize each time is a £50 voucher to spend at the event. Winners are announced and invited to collect the voucher from reception.

If you need to leave early don’t worry – if you win a prize we’ll post the voucher to you to spend at the next Hugglets Festival. Festival programmes including floorplans are sent out approximately 3 weeks prior to each event to our mailing list as a reminder. Next time you should automatically receive one in the post (if you live in the UK) – you’ll just need to remember to bring it with you. If you want to join our UK mailing list now you can do so here.

As the queue enters you’ll be asked to hand over your entry ticket to one of the staff at the inner doors. Don’t worry if you later need to leave the venue and return – just ask for a pass-out card at the door as you go out. You might need to step outside because phone reception is patchy or for a bit of fresh air (or a smoke) or if you prefer to eat out at lunchtime.

If you have coats and bags with you can deposit these at the free cloakroom in the basement (hall 3). You can also use this facility if your purchases mount up during the day – but don’t forget to collect them!

From the point you enter the event everything is open to you – over 10,000 teddy bears and related collectables on sale in an enormous variety of styles, sizes, colours, ages and prices.

The event takes place on all three floors and in four different halls. The ground floor has halls 1 and 2 (the first one you come to is actually hall two). The top floor is called hall 4 and the basement hall 3.

The number of stands in each hall is as follows

Hall 1 - 65 stands
Hall 2 - 33 stands
Hall 3 - 36 stands
Hall 4 - 39 stands

Many people find it helpful to review the list of exhibitors before the event. A floorplan showing exhibitor positions will be available on the day from the reception area. You can collect one when you arrive and review it while waiting in the queue. You can view the exhibitor list and basic floorplan now from this page in order to plan the order of your visit. It’s a good idea to identify any stands you particularly want to visit early in the day when more bears are still available.

For about two months prior to a Festival we also add clickable links to the websites of our exhibitors. This is great for previewing the sorts of bears offered by each exhibitor. The links remain available on the site for about a year after the event to help you track down an exhibitor if you later regret not buying one of their bears!

If you are especially intent on buying a particular bear or a bear from a particular artist it may be worth contacting the exhibitor in advance in case a bear can be reserved, or perhaps you can buy in advance and collect on the day.

There are so many great bears it will be hard to know where to begin. Most of the leading teddy bear artists in the UK will be there.

Hugglets Festivals also offer a rare opportunity to meet bear artists and other exhibitors from overseas - so you’ll not want to miss these. There are usually about 40 exhibitors from overseas. They are located through all the halls but can be readily identified on the printed or pdf exhibitor list by a round dot. Countries often represented include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, South Africa, The Netherlands & USA.

A quick word about photography - if you want to take photos we won’t be surprised because the displays are wonderful and the artistry amazing – but please ask permission of the exhibitor first.

The event hosts a charity stand on the ground floor run by Good Bears of the World – hall 2 stand 75C. GBW provide new teddy bears to comfort those in distress. When they receive donations of older bears they sell them to raise funds for their worthwhile cause. You can find some great bears to adopt here.

Just past the reception area you’ll see a bear repairer. Another is located on stand 75B. You may be lucky to find a repair can be done on the day but often teddies need to become in-patients.

We don’t have an official valuation service for old bears, but if you are thinking of selling, there are many dealers in old bears at the event who would be pleased to see your bear and perhaps make an offer. One or more specialist toy auctioneers may also have a stand and so be able to advise you.

Not all exhibitors can take cheque or card payments, especially those from overseas, so it’s a good idea to have sufficient cash for your proposed purchases. If you need to top up, the nearest cash points are on Kensington High Street.

By now you might be getting hungry! On the top floor you’ll find the snack bar and licensed bar. Because the event is busy there may be delays in being served at peak times. An alternative is to take a break outside at one the local eateries or find a seat in the balcony area overlooking hall 1 and break out the sandwiches! If you do go out for food please note that fast food cannot be brought back into the premises so you’ll need to finish it outside.

If you are coming with a party it is a good idea to arrange a meeting time and place in case you split up. Sorry, we generally won’t make public announcements to reunite you with your friends, but we make an exception if children are lost.

On the subject of things being lost, please keep hold of your bags. You’ll need to put them down to cuddle an irresistible bear from time to time but remember to pick them up again. If you do lose something please report it to the Hugglets reception at the entrance. We’ll take your contact details and reunite you with your property if it is handed in. If you find something, please bring it to reception or if it is next to a stand please bring it to the attention of the exhibitor.

The event finishes at 4.30pm so you’ll want to regroup and make sure you’ve visited all the halls before then. At 4.15pm we make an announcement to recommend you make your final purchases before the journey home. If you have left items in the cloakroom please collect them. Anything still there at the end of the day will be transferred to the Hugglets reception desk.

If you are hoping to get a taxi we advise you to walk down to the main road and hail one from there. Phoning for a cab is not always successful.

If you have parked in the car park, you’ll need to pay at the machine or at the manned booth before rejoining your car.

Have a safe journey back and we hope your adopted bears settle well into their new home! If you have taken pictures of your day or wish to write an account of your visit please send us a copy - we may be able to include it on our website.

Glenn & Irene Jackman,
Hugglets