On Saturday myself and three friends visited Friends Fest at Hillsborough Park, Sheffield.
I am a huge fan of Friends. There’s no way I could even count how many times I have watched the box set, over and over again. Friends has been and still is to this day a huge part of so many people’s lives. I still quote it on an almost-daily basis.
When I first heard about Friends Fest, I was a little surprised that the event organisers expected a big turn out of people to visit the set of a TV show that ended over 10 years ago. It’s safe to say I was wrong. The whole event has sold out at multiple dates & venues across the country.
Not knowing what to expect, we arrived at the venue and immediately were faced with street food vendors with Friends-appropriate names: a sandwich van called My Sandwich (and yes, they were selling the moist-maker), a Moonlight Diner (unfortunately without rollerblading Monica’s), a Chick & Duck bar and a Mockolate crepe stand.
There was a big screen with, of course, Friends playing, and lots of photo opportunities dotted around.
Our first visit was to the Monica & Rachel prom photo, then the Vegas wedding, followed by the famous fountain and umbrella scene, and finally the Central Perk sofa.
After a pit stop for snacks & coffee, we entered the studio tour in our allocated time slot. On the set tour we were able to see the real props and costumes used in the making of the show. I especially loved the holiday armadillo and the Geller cup! Ross was my favourite character on the show, so I always love anything related to him.
Finally, we were able to go into the apartments. Chandler and Joey’s was much bigger than I had imagined, while Monica’s was much smaller than it looks on TV.
We sat in the canoe, I got stuck in the barcalounger, we looked out of the window trying to find ugly naked guy, and sat around Monica’s table.
The whole day was full of laughter, and really was a fantastic experience. A very well organised event that’s perfect for all the Friends-fanatics out there.
The whole visit lasted around 2.5 hours, but I’m sure you could spend all day there if you’d like! Take a look at the other Friends Fest dates here:
Liz Cage 