Social media influencers are turning up to Wimbledon purely to film themselves queuing “for the experience”, with many carrying selfie sticks and showing little interest in the tennis itself. These content creators aim to “soak in the atmosphere” and generate views on platforms like TikTok and Kick.
Influencers Share Their Motivations
Kevin Wight, 47, a TikTokker, told the Daily Star outside the main entrance: “I’m here every day. It’s a happy event and there’s a lot of happy people here. It’s a bit like a festival.” Each day of the tournament, Wight sets up a camera outside one of the entry gates and livestreams on Kick while people queue.
Wight admitted he has never been inside the grounds: “I’ve never been inside – I do quite like the tennis but I get so many views on my platform from doing this it’s worth it. They haven’t invited me to the Royal box yet – and they probably won’t – but a man can dream can’t he? I don’t try and annoy anyone. Some staff on the gate get a little bit sniffy with me, but I think they’re just jealous of my amazing talents.”
Another attendee, Nelly Currie, who does not play tennis and was not there to see anyone in particular, said: “I’m here just for the experience, to get to see the tennis but also soak in the atmosphere.”
Queue Returns to Pre-Pandemic Levels
The trend comes as Wimbledon’s queues have reached levels not seen since 2019 before the pandemic. Some social media users have complained about how busy the tournament is this year, describing wandering around the site as “uncomfortably busy”.
However, Wimbledon’s chief steward James Mendelssohn refuted these claims: “The total number of people hasn’t changed from other years, so it would be inaccurate to say ‘Wimbledon is busier’. There will be some fluctuations due to factors like how many courts are in use and what time of the day it is. It’s not right to say that it’s busier and it’s getting too crowded, it’s exactly the same as it’s always been. It may just be the person saying it was too busy arrived at a different time from the year before.”
