What not to wear and bring: Olympic spectators' guide

Guide to visiting the Olympic stadiums Credit: PA/LOCOG

If you are lucky enough to have a ticket to one of the Olympic events, you certainly won't be the only one.

There are 46 Olympic venues around the UK and you can get the locations and details of all of them here.

Olympic organisers have also cleared up the confusion about what ticket holders are allowed to wear to avoid upsetting the main sponsors. They say:

"Any individual coming into our venues can wear any item of clothing, branded or otherwise. The only issue is if large groups come in together wearing clearly visible branding/marketing."

For those visiting the Olympic Park in East London, there are several maps and travel guides available here.

Transport

Thousands of visitors to the UK will put a strain on transport systems, especially in the capital. Read general travel advice here.

There is no spectator parking at London 2012 venues, except for a limited number of Blue badge spaces that must be booked in advance.

Taking public transport, cycling or walking wherever possible is recommended. You can use the Olympic spectator journey planner to find out the best route to your venue here.

Drivers for East Midlands Rail have also announced a three-day strike between August 6th and 8th.

The extra strain on the transport system will not only affect those attending Olympic events and you can get advice on getting ahead of the Games here.

London public transport is likely to be crowded, so leave plenty of time Credit: Katie Collins/PA Wire

Arriving early

You should aim to arrive at least 30 minutes before your event is due to begin, but you should arrive much earlier for some venues. Check the advice for each venue here.

Visitors to the Olympic Stadium are being advised to arrive two-and-a-half hours before the beginning of the event to ensure they have time to get through security.

For the openings and closing ceremonies, spectators are advised to be in their seats no later than 7:20pm. The gates will open at 5pm and 5:30pm respectively.

Empty plastic water bottles are allowed Credit: Stephen Pond/EMPICS Sport

What to bring

Spectators cannot enter London 2012 venues with liquids, aerosols, and gels in quantities greater than 100ml. This includes:

  • All drinks

  • Cosmetics and toiletries

  • Sprays

  • Pastes (including toothpaste)

  • Gels (including hand sanitisers)

  • Contact lens solution

Empty water bottle are permitted as long as they are not made of glass.

Spectators are allowed up to 10 containers, each containing no more than 100ml. The only exception is sun cream - you may bring up to 200ml of sun cream in its original container.

Other restricted items:

  • Large flags (bigger than 1x2 metres)

  • Oversized hats

  • Golf umbrellas

  • Large photography equipment

  • Excessive amounts of food

  • Balls, rackets or frisbees

  • Noisemakers including; horns, klaxons, drums, vuvuzelas and whistles

  • Any object or clothing bearing political statement or overt commercial identification

  • Flags of any countries not participating in the Olympics

There are also a number of prohibited items which cannot be brought in to any of the London 2012 venues:

  • Alcohol

  • Demonstration items (such as tents, placards or spray paint)

  • Walkie-talkies

  • Private wireless access points

  • Laser pointers and strobe lights

  • Bicycles

  • Pets or animals (excluding service animals)

  • All knives or bladed items

  • Any offensive weapons

  • CS or pepper sprays

  • Firearms or ammunition

  • Fireworks

  • Hazardous or toxic materials

  • Controlled drugs

  • Items that resemble any prohibited items

Questions?

Finally, for any questions that have not been answered above, the London 2012 has a 'virtual agent' to answer them.