Summary
Wimbledon sets no dress code for spectators in the ordinary seats on Centre Court and No.1 Court or around the grounds, and its all-white rule applies only to the players. The Royal Box protocol is a suit or a jacket and tie, with no hats for women. The Club's 2025 Members' Handbook also asks men in the Members' Enclosure for a jacket and tie. The Lawn, the Treehouse and the Rosewater Pavilion ask for the smarter side of casual. There is no dress code for watching from a debenture seat. Outfit examples are in the Men, jump to Men and Women, jump to Women sections, and the mistakes people make, jump to Common mistakes are listed at the end.
Wimbledon's official name is The Championships, and in 2027 it runs from Monday 28 June to Sunday 11 July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in south-west London. The Club requires players to wear clothing that is "almost entirely white", and the rule covers the soles and laces of their shoes. Spectators have no equivalent rule.
The rules below come from the Club's own published guidance. For The Lawn, the Treehouse and the Rosewater Pavilion, they come from those venues' published guidance. Where nobody publishes a rule for an area, we say so.
Where you are, what to wear
Centre Court and No.1 Court
A show court is one of Wimbledon's main stadium courts, and Centre Court and No.1 Court are the two largest. The Club sets no dress code for spectators on either. Its visitor advice is to dress for the weather. It warns that the covered or shaded parts of both stands can be cooler even on warm days, and it suggests a hat because your seat may be in full sun.
The grounds and the Hill
There is no dress code anywhere in the open grounds either. The Hill is the grass bank, officially called Aorangi Terrace, where people watch play on a big screen. Flat shoes cope with its slope better than heels.
Debenture seats
A debenture is a bond the Club issues to fund work on the grounds, and each one carries a reserved seat on Centre Court or No.1 Court. The seats are in rows A to N on Centre Court and rows A to Q on No.1 Court. There is no dress code for watching from a debenture seat, and the Club's guidance for debenture holders says many guests choose to dress up. It also asks guests to dress comfortably and to be ready for rain or warm sunshine.
A debenture seat with us
With us, you have a reserved debenture seat on Centre Court on any day from the first round to the gentlemen's singles final. No.1 Court debenture seats cover the first eleven days, from Monday 28 June to Thursday 8 July 2027.
The seat is yours for every match scheduled on that court that day, so you watch the whole programme from the same place. It suits a group who want a full day of show-court tennis from fixed seats.
The Royal Box
The Royal Box is a block of dark green wicker chairs on Centre Court, where the Club has seated its invited guests since 1922. The Chair of the All England Club sends the invitations. The guests range from royal families and heads of government to people from tennis and the armed forces.
The Club's Royal Box page sets out the protocol. Dress is smart, with suits or a jacket and tie, and women are asked not to wear hats because a hat blocks the view of the people seated behind. Press reports in July 2026 said the Club had also asked invited women to avoid strapless, off-the-shoulder and spaghetti-strap outfits, though the Club has not published that detail. Places in the Royal Box come only by invitation, and they are not something we arrange.
The Members' Enclosure
The Members' Enclosure is the part of the grounds the Club sets aside for its members and their guests. Its dress code is set out in the Club's 2025 Members' Handbook, and the 2027 handbook may change it. Access depends on being a member or a member's guest, and it is not something we arrange.
In 2025 the handbook asked men for a suit or a tailored jacket, with a shirt, tie and trousers, and members are expected to remind male guests that ties are required. Women are asked to dress to a similar standard in smart daywear. Jumpsuits and trouser suits are accepted, and so are tailored shorts that fall just above the knee. Dresses and skirts should fall just above the knee or longer.
Shoes must be clean and smart, and smart open-toe shoes are welcome. Tennis shoes, running shoes, flip-flops and sandals are not. Its list of things not to wear starts with T-shirts, bare midriffs and denim of any colour. It goes on to leggings, playsuits and miniskirts, then zip-up jackets and hoodies.
The Lawn, the Treehouse and the Rosewater Pavilion
The Lawn and the Treehouse share a building about two minutes' walk from Gate 5, just outside the grounds, and the Treehouse is on its first floor. The Rosewater Pavilion is inside the grounds, a few minutes' walk from Centre Court.
Their published guidance asks guests in all three to dress on the smarter side of casual, which it defines as no jeans and no sports trainers. Jackets and ties are optional, and smart, clean trainers or tailored shorts are accepted. We arrange debenture seats rather than places in these three venues.
Men
Two published codes ask men for a tie. One is the Royal Box protocol, and the other is the Members' Enclosure code in the Club's 2025 handbook.
- Centre Court, No.1 Court and the groundsThere is no code, and a long day outdoors sets the brief. A linen shirt with chinos or tailored shorts and clean trainers works well. A panama or a cap helps in a sunny seat, and a light jumper covers the shaded stands.
- Debenture seatsThere is no code for the seat, and many guests choose to dress up. A navy blazer over an open-necked shirt with pale chinos and loafers fits in. A cotton suit worn without a tie works too.
- The Lawn, the Treehouse and the Rosewater PavilionA jacket and tie are optional here, but jeans and sports trainers are not accepted. Tailored shorts with a short-sleeved shirt and white leather trainers meet the code. So do cotton trousers with a polo shirt and loafers.
- The Royal BoxA lightweight grey suit with a silk tie meets the protocol. So does a navy blazer with a tie and pressed trousers.
Women
No published code at Wimbledon asks women to wear a hat, and the Royal Box asks women not to wear one. The Club's debenture guidance sets no rule for women beyond dressing comfortably for the weather.
- Centre Court, No.1 Court and the groundsThere is no code, and a long day on foot sets the brief. A cotton sundress, or wide-leg trousers with a linen shirt, works with flat sandals or trainers. A sun hat suits a sunny seat, though the Royal Box asks women not to wear hats at all. A light cardigan suits the shaded stands.
- Debenture seatsNo rule applies, and many guests choose to dress up. A midi dress, which ends between the knee and the ankle, fits in with a light jacket and block heels. Cigarette trousers, which are slim and cut to the ankle, work as well with a silk blouse and smart flats.
- The Lawn, the Treehouse and the Rosewater PavilionSmart, clean trainers are accepted here, but jeans and sports trainers are not. A printed midi dress with white leather trainers meets the code. So do tailored shorts with a blouse and sandals.
- The Royal BoxA fitted dress with sleeves or a trouser suit fits the published protocol when worn without a hat. It also fits the stricter guidance reported in 2026.
The mistakes people make
Assuming spectators must wear white
The all-white rule is for the players only, so spectators can wear any colour, white included.
A hat that blocks the view
The conditions of entry refuse oversized hats or other garments that could restrict the view of the people around you. A sun hat with a modest brim avoids the problem.
Shoes with wheels
The conditions of entry refuse wheeled footwear, along with scooters and skateboards.
Clothing that promotes a brand or a cause
The conditions of entry refuse clothing used for promotion or ambush marketing, which means advertising a brand at the tournament without being one of its sponsors. They also refuse clothing with political, offensive or discriminatory messages.
Taking your shirt off on the Hill
Removing your shirt breaks the conditions of entry, however hot the afternoon.
What happens to the courts after the final is in our post on Wimbledon's grass. For where The Championships sit in the summer, from Cheltenham in March to the Goodwood Revival in September, our long-read The British Season 2027 covers all ten occasions.
Emma Harrod
Managing Director of Leicester Sales
Managing Director of Leicester Sales at Imperial Corporate Events. She gets to know what suits you, then makes the day happen without the fuss.
