Around a quarter of a million people will visit the Royal Albert Hall this year for the annual BBC Proms season, starting this week on Friday. But many will be daunted by the Proms' single greatest selling point: the ability to turn up on the night and - for a measly five pounds - stand eye to eye with some of the world's greatest orchestras, conductors, singers and instrumentalists.
While the thought of standing cheek-by-jowl for three hours among a crowd of musical anoraks might not sound like everyone's cup of tea, the thrill of hearing world class music-making at such close range can be well worth the effort (and the second-hand body odour). To help get you started, here are a few tips on how to make the most of your £5 investment:
1. Arrive early
If you want a good spot in the arena then you should aim to turn up at least two hours before the concert's advertised starting time. For most week-night concerts, you should be OK if you arrive before 6pm, but for some of the more popular weekend concerts you might want to bring a packed lunch and a good book.
2. Mark your territory
Once inside, a backpack or a newspaper works well to mark your territory, but don't leave your bag unattended if you wander off while queuing outside - these days you might well return to find its been the subject of a controlled explosion.
3. Don't get too close to the front
Be warned: in the arena, territoriality increases the closer you get to the front, and positions in the first few rows are hotly contested among people with little sense of humour and even less in the way of perspective. They tend to have queued most of the day in order to secure their tiny territories and can be horribly rude to anyone who dares brave an incursion.
4. Know where you stand
As it turns out, the hardcore queuers have got it wrong anyway, at least in terms of acoustics. Ten rows from the front and somewhere near the centre is just about perfect: great visibility, less jostling, and beautiful, full-bodied orchestral sound - far better than anything you can get from the stalls.
5. Wear comfortable shoes
It can't be stressed enough: three hours on your feet can be a killer. Keep your shoes on the comfy side and save your fashion statements for Glyndebourne - you'll realise the futility of such gestures the moment you lay eyes on your fellow Prommers.
6. Stay cool
It gets awfully hot in the Royal Albert Hall, especially at the height of summer, and sharing an enclosed space with several thousand sweaty music lovers can prove an overwhelming experience in all the wrong ways. A bottle of mineral water with a lid you can silently screw on and off can be invaluable.
7. Don't chant
If you hear the unmistakable sound of 50 grown adults intoning a solemn plea on behalf of "musical charities" at the interval, try not to get caught up in the moment and join in: believe it or not, these people actually rehearse. Your better option would be to make a beeline for the bar, but don't forget to give the bucket-bearers a couple of quid after the concert - they're risking ridicule on a nightly basis for a good cause, after all.
8. Learn to love the student bars
If they're good enough for the student populace at Imperial College, they're good enough for you. Located through a small arch facing onto Prince Consort Road, Da Vinci's and the Imperial College Union Bar are great places to meet up with and gossip about your fellow Prommers after the concert.
9. Fall in love
No Proms season would be complete without at least one scandalous love affair. Start your own, or join in one of the ménage à trois still bubbling over from last year.
10. Get lost in the music
There is a good reason 1,400 otherwise sensible people undergo two months of throbbing feet and subtropical humidity every year: there is simply nothing that compares to standing 10 metres away from a world-class orchestra in full flight. There is a special intensity that comes from such close proximity between musicians and audience, and the performances tend to reach out and touch the sublime just that little bit more often. It can be hard work at times to be sure, but for £5 a pop, what have you really got to lose?
