Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Is Designed to Flood

When the paths by the river flood, the park is working correctly. That is what it was built to do.

“Following periods of heavy rain, the paths closest to the River Lea, especially in the north of the Park, can be prone to flooding. This is a natural part of the Park’s role as a flood basin for the housing in the Lea Valley.”

So the Olympic Park is not just parkland with a river through it. It is drainage infrastructure for the homes around it, and the flooded path is the design succeeding rather than failing.

Practically: after heavy rain, head for the southern half. The north, nearest the Lea, is where the water goes.

The park’s own warning adds ice to the list, and one blunt instruction: “Never attempt to walk across frozen water.”

There is a blue green algae warning, and it is specific

Worth reading properly if you have a dog or children.

“If you swim through or swallow blue green algae, you could suffer from severe skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and pains in muscles and joints. Protect yourself and your animals by keeping away from the algae and the water close to it.”

Note “and the water close to it”, not just the visible bloom. In a park with boat tours and swan pedalos and an off-lead dog walking area, that is a real constraint in warm weather.

Five national institutions have landed in one place

The biggest cultural development in London in decades, and most Londoners have not registered it.

East Bank, on the park, now holds or is opening:

V&A East, both the Museum and the Storehouse. Covered in full here, and open until 10pm on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Sadler’s Wells East, the dance house, which takes the £10 Barclays Dance Pass like the other Sadler’s Wells venues.

BBC Music Studios.

London College of Fashion, UAL.

UCL East.

Five institutions, one site, walkable between them. That is the reason to treat the park as a destination rather than a route to a stadium.

The venues, and what they cost

The park holds six major sporting venues, most of them usable by the public rather than just watchable:

London Stadium, home of West Ham and a concert venue.

London Aquatics Centre, the Zaha Hadid pool, open for public swimming.

Copper Box Arena.

Lee Valley VeloPark.

Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.

ArcelorMittal Orbit, the red tower with the slide.

The park publishes its own “Things to do under £10” guide, which is the useful starting point, alongside guides to spending a day there and visiting with children.

ABBA Voyage sits on the park too, in its purpose-built arena.

Free wifi, free playground, free to enter

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is open every day and costs nothing.

Free facilities across the site:

WiFi across the whole park.

Tumbling Bay Playground, the big one, in the north near the Timber Lodge.

The South Park Waterworks Fountains.

The London Blossom Garden.

An off-lead dog walking area.

Picnicking is permitted, and there is an Information Point.

Paid extras include the boat tours and swan pedalos.

Check for road and path closures before you come

The park publishes these continuously and they are frequent, because it is a working events site.

Closures are listed for West Ham home games at London Stadium, summer events, festivals and filming, alongside resident letters for construction. Checked on 6 October 2026, the current list included road reconstruction works running to 10 October 2026.

If you are walking across the park to reach a specific venue, the closure list is worth two minutes.

On filming: commercial filming and photography needs LLDC authorisation at least ten days in advance, through the Events Team. Personal and non-commercial photography does not.

Where to stay on the park

Unusually for a London park, there are hotels on it:

The Stratford. Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House. The Gantry Hotel. Snoozebox.

For anyone attending something at London Stadium or the Copper Box, staying on site removes the transport problem entirely.

How to plan it

After heavy rain: stay south. The northern paths by the Lea flood by design.

Warm weather near the water: watch for blue green algae, and keep dogs away from it.

Culture: East Bank, with V&A East, Sadler’s Wells East, the BBC studios, LCF and UCL East in walking distance of each other.

Cheap day: the park’s own “Things to do under £10” guide.

Free: the park, the wifi, Tumbling Bay Playground, the fountains and the Blossom Garden.

Match day or event: check the closure list first.

Swimming: the Aquatics Centre is open to the public.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Address

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London E20

Nearest

Stratford and Stratford International, plus Hackney Wick and Pudding Mill Lane

Hours

Open every day. Individual venues keep their own hours

Booking

None needed for the park. Venues booked individually. Commercial filming needs LLDC authorisation at least ten days ahead

Price

Free to enter, with free wifi across the park. Boat tours and swan pedalos are charged. The park publishes a Things to do under 10 pounds guide

Standing

The 2012 Olympic park, now holding London Stadium, the London Aquatics Centre, Copper Box Arena, Lee Valley VeloPark, the Hockey and Tennis Centre, the ArcelorMittal Orbit and ABBA Voyage, plus the East Bank cultural quarter

How to get in

The park is a flood basin for housing in the Lea Valley, so paths closest to the river, especially in the north, flood after heavy rain by design. There is a published blue green algae warning covering skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting and fever, applying to the water close to the algae as well as the bloom itself. East Bank now holds V&A East, Sadler’s Wells East, BBC Music Studios, London College of Fashion and UCL East within walking distance of each other. Road and path closures for events and construction are published continuously and are worth checking before crossing the park.

Where to go next

London Stadium and V&A East are both on the park, and the cheap theatre tickets page covers Sadler’s Wells East.

London’s parks compares the rest, and Hackney covers the area to the west.

Questions we get asked

Why do the paths flood at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park?

By design. The park states that the paths closest to the River Lea, especially in the north, are prone to flooding after heavy rain, and that this is a natural part of the park's role as a flood basin for housing in the Lea Valley. After heavy rain the southern half is the safer walk.

Is Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park free?

Yes, the park is free and open every day, with free wifi throughout. Tumbling Bay Playground, the South Park Waterworks Fountains, the London Blossom Garden and the off-lead dog walking area all cost nothing. Boat tours and swan pedalos are charged, and the park publishes a Things to do under £10 guide.

What is East Bank at the Olympic Park?

A cultural quarter on the park holding five institutions: V&A East, both the Museum and the Storehouse; Sadler's Wells East; BBC Music Studios; London College of Fashion, UAL; and UCL East. They sit within walking distance of each other, which makes the park a cultural destination rather than just a route to a stadium.

Is there blue green algae at the Olympic Park?

The park publishes a standing warning about it. Swimming through or swallowing blue green algae can cause severe skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and muscle and joint pains, and the warning covers the water close to the algae as well as the visible bloom. Keep yourself and animals away from it.

What venues are in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park?

London Stadium, the London Aquatics Centre, the Copper Box Arena, Lee Valley VeloPark, the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and the ArcelorMittal Orbit, plus ABBA Voyage in its purpose-built arena and the five East Bank institutions. Several, including the Aquatics Centre, are open for public use rather than just spectating.

Can you stay on the Olympic Park?

Yes, there are several hotels on the park itself: The Stratford, the Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House, The Gantry Hotel and Snoozebox. For anyone attending an event at London Stadium or the Copper Box, staying on site removes the transport problem.