3 days ago
I tried hi-viz trick at top tourist spots… I dodged £35 ticket with cheerful nod but poor acting thwarted theatre trip
SOMETIMES the best place to hide is in plain sight.
Just look at Oasis fan John Spilsbury, who saw their Manchester homecoming gig on Friday for free by disguising himself as a litter picker.
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Put on a high-vis jacket and walk with enough confidence, and you can get in anywhere — or so the theory goes.
It might seem odd that making yourself so visible actually makes you invisible.
But this reflective piece of clothing might be all you need to walk past security unchallenged.
Would it let me sneak into some of London 's biggest tourist attractions without paying a penny?
With a £4 high-vis vest and a broken walkie talkie to add to the illusion, I set off to put it to the test . . .
ODEON CINEMA
THE Odeon Cinema on Leicester Square hosts many of the big blockbuster premieres.
And access to the screens is firmly blocked off by a bunch of guys with seemingly one job, and one job only – to stop me getting in. Would this be Mission: Impossible?
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I was clueless about the layout and nearly blew my cover by looking confused.
Oasis kick off first Manchester homecoming gig after 16 years away
But one pretend-listen to my walkie talkie and I started to walk like I'd been trying to get into Screen 2 all along.
The man on the door was itching to ask for my £18 ticket, but I looked him dead in the eye and gave a firm nod.
Not a word was spoken and I was on my way to watch How To Train Your Dragon.
LONDON ZOO
WITH ticket booths, a heavily manned bag check and separate security guards on the other side of the street, it was going to be tough to avoid the £35 fee.
Conveniently, though, the guards were wearing the same colour vest I had just put on while crouching behind a car.
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So all it took was a cheerful nod and I was past the four men on the search station.
I marched toward the glass-fronted ticket booths, where more workers lay in wait.
I pretended to fiddle with my walkie talkie and phone, not even trying to make eye contact.
And despite being zoo workers, no one clocked my monkey business.
Hi-vis whipped off and I was able to roam the zoo like any other visitor.
TATE MODERN
GENERAL admission to the art gallery is free, but visiting its special exhibitions can be costly – unless you're standing out like a sore thumb, it seems.
Showing at the moment is a retrospective for flamboyant artist and fashion designer Leigh Bowery.
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But blocking my way in was a gallery worker at the entrance and a slow-walking family rummaging for their tickets.
As a man clearly here for business not leisure, I tried to appear mildly irritated by the hold-up but too polite to hurry anyone.
It worked, because when I got to the front I was ushered in with an air of apology.
I certainly enjoyed the exhibition too – not least because I'd avoided the £20 fee.
THE OVAL GROUND
GIANT black gates at the home of Surrey Cricket Club meant my only way in would be a narrow path right next to security.
As I tried to breeze in nonchalantly, firm shouts from the guards quickly stopped me in my tracks.
My explanation that I was 'just nipping in for a look' unsurprisingly didn't go down too well and I was on the streets unless I paid £20 for a ticket.
ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL
THERE were a few places not too keen to let me in.
And it is reassuring to know there are attractions in London that won't be fooled by such a simple trick, especially with the threat of terrorism ever-present in the background.
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So well done St Paul's Cathedral, who were quick to turn me away without a ticket.
I'll just have to pay the £26 entry fee next time.
GLOBE THEATRE
IT'S all about acting at the Shakespearean theatre, where guided tours cost £27 – and my stage skills were too poor to blag my way in here.
My performance did have enough about it to get into the gift shop though, but no further.
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The vest and walkie talkie ruse is good but not foolproof – so don't go trying it yourself!
