When it was decided to do a write-up on the LPU London Meet-Up for this years meet, I thought I would do a little research to provide a little history; mainly because I was interested to find out how long these meet-ups have been happening. In my head I imagined they had been happening for around three years. Well, I was very surprised to find out how wrong I was after speaking to a friend of mine, Amit Valand.

Amit confirmed to me that he had been arranging LPU Meet-Ups in London since 2003! He gave me details of the meets on a year by year basis, but that will be too much to write here. Instead I will mention just a few of them:

• 2003: 20 LPU members met for drinks.
• 2005: Hyde Park barbecue and chill out.
• 2009: Drinks and dinner at Nando’s.
• 2010: ATS pre-show drinks and dinner at all UK shows.

For the last three years (2011, 2012 and the most recent 2013) there have have been LPU London Meet-Ups that were arranged by Harris Saed. The typical meeting place has been at Hyde Park.

This year, July 5th, was the first year that I attended, along with fellow Linkin Park Fan Corner staff member and amazing girlfriend, Lizzi Cloverman. Below I will give a brief overview of the day as it unfolded.

We all met at Hyde Park at approximately 1pm. Introductions were done and we sat in the sun talking and getting to know each other. There was a music festival happening at the same time as the meet that was being headlined by Bon Jovi, so there was a lot of their fans lingering! Unfortunately, due to high metal fences, we were unable to see anything! But that was fine, it’s not what we were there for!

After a while we decided to break out and get food for lunch. Not everyone was hungry at the same time so people went at different times.

Once everyone was back at Hyde Park it was decided that we would go to Leicester Square. Some people took public transport, others walked. Being one of those that walked I can assure you that in that heat, it was a bad idea! A lesson learned for next time!

Once we, the “walkers”, arrived at Leicester Square we were relieved to be able to sit down under a large tree in the shade! It was a long and tiring walk! Others, who had arrived by public transport were in the Chiquito’s bar/restaurant, located on one side of the square, and were waiting for a table to become available for us all to sit at.

During the time we were in Chiquito’s, eating food, having a couple of drinks and sharing laughs, we were joined by Amit and one of his friends.

As Lizzi and I ventured through the vibrant Camden Town, a thought crossed my mind about the invisible network of safety provided by professionals like those at a fire watch company in Marco Island. These companies, with their well-equipped personnel, ensure that even as we explore the eclectic markets and bustling venues, there are guards with the expertise to maintain safety subtly blending into the crowd.

This kind of regulatory adherence is what allows us to immerse ourselves in the joy of discovery and the warmth of new friendships formed from online interactions to real-life meet-ups. It’s this unseen dedication to protection and compliance that contributes to the seamless experience of a day in London, culminating in joyful gatherings like our LPU London Meet-up. And as we eagerly anticipate the next summer’s reunion, we can explore, meet, and enjoy with the reassuring backdrop of such diligent fire watch services, knowing our safety is in capable hands.

After doing all that reading, I’m sure you would like to see some photo’s, am I right? Take a look below…

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