Everything You Need to Know About the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic
It’s been a few days and I’m still smiling from the 11th annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic. The weather shaped up at the last minute and the stormy forecast turned to sunshine! I’ve gotten so many questions about the day, so here’s my rundown from getting tickets to lounging on the fields of Liberty Island sipping champagne.
How do you go?
After years of drooling over the Instagram posts, I decided that this was the year I would finally join the herds of stylish New Yorkers and ring in summer sipping champagne with the Polo Classic. Tickets went on presale for AMEX customers mid-April, and for the general public in late April. I patiently waited by my phone until the second tickets went on sale and frantically refreshed trying to snag a coveted spot. Tickets would appear, then disappear over and over and the stress was real. Finally, I was able to snag just ONE ticket after nearly 20 minutes of refreshing, leaving me dateless. Nevertheless, I knew I’d have a few friends there, so I wasn’t too worried. (Luckily I was able to find a resale ticket the day before. Thank you bad forecast for scaring those people off!)
There are three ticketing options- General Admission from $85-$125, Early Access for $145 that lets you take the first ferry to the island, and Rosé Garden for $450 which gets access to the Rosé Garden, a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé, a gourmet lunchbox, and even more beautiful decor for all the amazing photo opportunities your heart could desire. If you can spring for it, the Rosé Garden is actually a great deal considering how much you are already going to spend on food and drinks. Maybe next year?!
The Outfits
For the fashion-forward of New York, the Polo Classic is up there with the Met Gala. Everyone goes all out planning their looks and the people watching was incredible. Men in linen suits, women in gorgeous flowing dresses with fancy hats and fascinators. It was worth the price of admission for the people watching alone.
In honor of the 200th anniversary of Madame Clicquot’s first blended rosé, I work a pink suit with a blue polka-dotted short sleeve button up and gray suede shoes. Thanks to everyone for their input on the outfit as I agonized over it for the month leading up!
The Day Of
Check-in began at 10 am at Battery Park, and I wanted to be there as early as possible to get the full experience and hopefully beat some of the crowds for the best photo ops! We breezed through security and onto a ferry to take off right at 10:45 am to take a scenic ride past the Statue of Liberty to Liberty State Park. Fair warning- there is quite a long walk from the ferry to the polo grounds, but the Veuve team was there along the way encouraging everyone and handing out bottles of water.
After clearing security once again, the magic begins. As if getting through the gates to the Emerald City, we entered into a giant field with picnic tables, food trucks, merchandise tents, and beautiful walls of flowers and greenery for ample photo ops. Our first stop was the main backdrop, which was a hill of greenery and flowers that looked like the yellow brick road leading to the polo grounds. Well worth the long line, although I do wish I got my umbrella before waiting in the sun. (Pro Tip- apply sunscreen, apply sunscreen, apply sunscreen. Repeat.) Next, we were off to the merch tent to snag ourselves those signature Veuve color umbrellas to hide from the sun.
The drink options ranged from bottles of the classic Yellow Label, to bottles of Rosé Champagne, to glasses of Veuve Clicquot Rich with fresh fruit. I opted for Rosé with pineapple while my date went for Rich with cucumber. We indulged in a bottle of yellow label (with an adorable champagne koozie), and a lobster roll from the Red Hook Lobster Pound food truck.
The rest of the day was full of meeting up with friends, lounging on our picnic blanket and sipping champagne as we admired all the fabulous fashion. The day flew by, and we didn’t want it to end! It was finally time for the fairytale to end, and we walked back to the ferry, ever so tipsy and feeling fabulous.
The Verdict
Should you go? ABSOLUTELY! Worth every penny for an indulgent fabulous day to kick off summer. Some of my parting tips:
Did I mention sunscreen?
Bring bottled water (must be factory sealed)
Bring snacks and your own food to save a few bucks
Bring a picnic blanket so you can lounge on the field and enjoy the match
Sunglasses, Hats, umbrellas, or anything to protect you from the sunshine. If you bring your own umbrella you’ll probably feel left out not having the signature orange umbrella, so maybe just splurge for one as soon as you get there 😉
Backup phone battery. There’s a charging station but always better to have your own
Clear all the space on your camera, because you’re going to take a thousand pics
There could not have been a more magical way to spend a summer Saturday in NYC. Who wants to go with me next year? See you in the Rosé Garden! 😘🍾🥂
