Can I vape at the tennis at Wimbledon?

This year, the event takes place between Monday 27th June and Sunday 10th July. One thing that you may be wondering during the Championships is: Can I vape at the event? And the answer is that you can, but only in certain areas.

The official Wimbledon website states: “[E]-cigarettes [are] forbidden within the stands of any court and in all areas covered by legislation.”

“[Vaping] is permitted in open areas with the exception of within queues and the Aorangi Terrace (including the Orchard).”

So what does this mean? Well, you definitely shouldn’t vape when actually in a stadium watching the tennis. That applies to the two main stadiums – Centre Court and No. 1 Court – but also the smaller courts, even though they are more open to the air than the stadiums.

It gets more complicated when considering areas outside of the courts and stadiums. Vaping is generally allowed as you’re out in the open air, but not in queues or Aorangi Terrace, which is more commonly known as Henman Hill.

Why these places? It appears to be motivated by the chances of there being large densities of people. These areas will always be heavily build up, so the ban vaping is likely designed to remove the potential for upset or annoyance caused to non-vapers.

This is a good rule of thumb to use across the whole of the Wimbledon grounds. If you’re in a place where there are lots of people, don’t vape. If you’re out in the open air and there aren’t a huge number of people around, you should be more free to use your device.

As ever, if you’re not sure whether you can vape in a particular area, always check with a member of staff, and if you’re asked to stop vaping anywhere within the grounds, do so immediately as punishment could be strict.

“Attendees must comply with the instructions of the All England Lawn Tennis Club or its authorised agents (including stewards and security staff) and/or any police officer,” the official website states. “Any failure to comply with such instructions may lead to ejection from, or refusal of entry to, the Grounds”.

If you are under any doubt, ask a member of staff.