The One Where… I went to Friends Fest

Friends Fest has been touring the UK over the summer and I headed along to Manchester’s Heaton Park to get my fix.

Side Note – I know Friends Fest was up in the North East, in Newcastle but the dates didn’t really suit – plus any excuse for a little road trip, right?

Arriving at Heaton Park right on time (our timeslot was 12 noon and it’s advised you arrive 15 minutes before your allocated timeslot) we quickly made our way through and started to form a plan on what we wanted to do. Everything. Obviously. Because you can’t go to Friends Fest and not recreate the titles, or the pivot scene, or go to Central Perk!

The pivot scene is iconic and the word comes to mind when I’m trying to manoeuvre something around a tricky corner; so it’s no surprise the nation voted it their favourite Friends moment and the scene to recreate during this year’s tour. I witnessed plenty Friends fans acting out the scene whilst waiting for our turn.

There’s definitely plenty to do to keep you busy for a few hours. If you’re factoring in the set tour – you need to pick a slot for this (ours was 2:10pm and I think I’d chosen that time to allow lunch beforehand – you can’t take food in for the set tour, which I was rather rudely reminded…) and that’s a half hour through Joey and Chandler’s apartment, into Monica and Rachel’s apartment then Ross’ apartment at the end. My only issue with this was that it felt a little rushed. With ten minutes per apartment and an array of photo opportunities, you do have to be pretty quick to get all your shots. Also, those insta shots aren’t going to be perfect, you will have people in the background – unless you get lucky and your tour group is smaller. But then again, I’m fairly sure Friends Fest is a sell-out every time. – checks dates for Friends Fest to see majority have sold out – nb. there are some tickets left though if you’re quick –

Food stalls and a bar are on site, so you can have a slice of Joey’s Pizza, OMG Hotdogs, or Mockolate waffles.

Would I recommend a trip to Friends Fest? Yes, if you’re a fan of the gang it’s a fun day out. If you’re a particular dinosaur fan, look out for the brachiosaurus in Ross’ apartment. Would I go again? I’m doubtful. I feel like I’ve experienced the sets, I’ve taken the photos which are synonymous with the TV show and I’m not sure what else they could do next time around to draw me back.

Have you been to Friends Fest? Let me know what you thought.