Inside: A review of the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party at the O2 Arena in London. Press tickets.
My little boy discovered Hot Wheels about 6 months ago and has very quickly become obsessed. We have various tracks, loops and accessories, not to mention a tonne of cars and trucks. Hot Wheels are his life right now!
The Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party is where your favourite monster trucks come to life. With favourites such as Race Ace and Big Foot, as well as new trucks such as Gunkster, there is so much fun to be had watching them as they do tricks around the arena.
We were asked to go along to review the show and this post will walk you through what to expect.
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live
The UK tour travels between Glasgow, London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, with matinee and evening performances available.
We had tickets for the O2 in London and it was a great venue for the show. Being undercover meant it wasn’t cold at all despite it being cold and wet outside. It is easy to get to by train or by car and there is plenty of parking available if needed.
We had tickets for the Sunday matinee performance, which started at 11.30. We arrived early and doors opened at around 10am, allowing you time to get food and drinks to keep little tummies happy.
Ticket options
The set up of the show means that wherever you are in the venue you’ll be able to see the action. The stage is actually the floor of the O2, with the seating being up the sides looking downwards.
Of course there are tiered ticket options, with the more expensive tickets being for seats closer to the ground and the less expensive options being for seats higher up in the stands. You can also pay extra to go into the Crash Zone before the show starts.
Crash Zone
For an additional cost you can go down into the Crash Zone before the show. Here you are able to meet the drivers, get their autographs and get up close to the monster trucks. You also get an Exclusive Hot Wheels Monster Truck Live Laminate & lanyard and two toy trucks. This option is part of the VIP package that also gets you access to the best seats in the arena.
We didn’t have VIP tickets but because our seats were in the lower bowl we could see the action down in the Crash Zone and it looked like a lot of fun!
Pre-show warm up
Around half an hour before the show was due to begin the two hosts, Alex Baker and Freddie Shepard, came out into the Crash Zone to do a warm up. We were introduced to the different trucks as they got themselves into their starting positions and each driver got out to say hello to the audience and welcome us to the show.
The trucks we saw were Mega Wrex™, Tiger Shark™, Boneshaker™, Bigfoot®, Demo Derby™, Race Ace™, and the all-new Gunkster™
We also met the Freestyle Motocross Team that would be doing some stunts later on in the show and the whole warm up was a nice way to build up the anticipation while we waited for the main event to begin.
Hot Wheels Monster Truck Live Glow Party
The main show is made up of two parts, with an interval of around 20-30 minutes about an hour in. The concept of the show is that each of the monster trucks take part in various challenges, competing to get the most points and win the trophy at the end of the show.
Challenge 1 – Wheelies
This challenge saw each truck take it in turns to rev the engine and spin onto their back wheels, before crashing down onto stunt cars in front of them. The aim was to be able to spin their wheels in such a way that they’d land as far forwards as possible.
Challenge 2 – Donuts
At this point I was very thankful we’d remembered to bring my son’s ear defenders (although you can buy them from merchandise stands before you head into the arena). The noise was incredible as each driver sent their truck into a spin.
Some were able to manage it and others couldn’t quite get the right momentum going, but it was fun to see the scores they each got as a result of their efforts.
Challenge 3 – The Long Jump
Very similar to the first challenge, but instead of getting onto their back wheels to get height over the cars, they were allowed a running jump.
This was my favourite part of the show as the height and distance some of the cars were able to achieve was amazing. How they don’t end up tipping backwards when they rear up into the air is beyond me – such skill!
Megasaurus
Just before the interval we were able to meet another truck – Megasaurus. A regular looking truck drove into the arena, only to transform into a fire-breathing dinosaur.
Megasaurus then drove into the middle of the arena and stopped next to a car. It then proceeded to lift up the car using its claws and chomp down on the metal with its giant jaw. As everyone stared, the car was chomped completely in half, straight through the metal. The children couldn’t believe their eyes!
Freestyle Motocross Team
After the interval it was time to watch the Freestyle motorcyclists perform stunts. We were absolutely blown away by the skill and bravery involved and I found myself yelling out loud in amazement as the team let go of their handlebars mid-air, did backflips and other insane manoeuvres that has our jaws dropping to the ground.
Challenge 4 – Freestyle
The final section saw each of the trucks try to wow us with long jumps, donuts and wheelies combined. This was great as you could really get a sense of what each truck could achieve.
Unfortunately, Big Foot® got a little over excited in one of the jumps and tipped over onto its side. A rescue truck came out immediately to get the truck back on 4 wheels again but this did mean we didn’t have enough time to see all of the trucks perform.
However, the drama of seeing a truck flip over made up for it as far as the kids were concerned and everyone was happy when the overall winner was announced as Gunkster™!
Your Questions Answered
What age is it suitable for?
There is no age limit for the show and children under 2 are free as long as they sit on a lap. The show is so fast paced, I would think that younger children would be so entranced that they would sit through the show fine.
Is the show loud?
It is incredibly loud while the engines are revving and so if any of your party are particularly sensitive to noise then ear defenders are a must. We brought a pair for our 6 year old and the rest of us made do with covering our ears with our hands for the donut section, where is was especially noisy.
How long is the show?
The show is 2 hours from start to finish and they were very prompt. However, there is the Crash Zone pre-party and the warm-up section that you can enjoy too if you get there a little early.
What merchandise is available?
There were t-shirts for sale, for both children and adults, as well as various Monster Truck toys & chequered flags to commemorate your visit. Depending on your ticket you may get some merchandise included.
Conclusion
We all came away absolutely raving about the show and my son has spent every day since playing with his own monster trucks, recreating the different challenges and tricks he saw.
It is a great day out for the family and the O2 was a fantastic venue to see the show. Find out more at hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com.