Can I park on the street near Twickenham Stadium on a match day?

Only with a resident’s or visitor’s permit for the Twickenham Event Zone (Zone R), or a Blue Badge. The zone runs 11am to 11pm on event days, covers roughly a mile around the stadium in both Richmond and Hounslow boroughs, and is patrolled. Everyone else needs a car park.

How much is a parking fine in Twickenham?

Richmond’s penalty charges are £160 for the higher-level offences (which include parking on the footway and in a suspended or residents’ bay) and £110 for the lower level, halved if you pay within 14 days. Vehicles can also be removed to the pound, which adds a release fee.

What are the Twickenham event day parking zone hours?

11am to 11pm on every event day, whatever time the match kicks off. The council publishes the list of event days in advance; a concert or a big club match counts as well as an England international.

What happens to my parking booking if the match is postponed?

It depends on who you booked with. The official stadium parking follows the ticket terms for the fixture. The school and scout car parks are run by volunteers and mostly move your booking to the new date or refund it; ask them. Driveway bookings on JustPark and YourParkingSpace follow those sites’ cancellation policies, which usually allow a free cancellation up to a cut-off.

Twickenham matchday parking rules, fines and gotchas

Two councils, one event zone, a lot of signs, and a tow truck. Everything the rules say, in the order they'll bite you.

Last updated 29 Sep 2026

The short version: no street parking without a permit from 11am to 11pm, anywhere within about a mile of the ground. Fines up to £160. Cars get towed. Book a car park, read its rules, and check your car fits.

1. The event zone (Zone R)

On event days the streets for about a mile around the stadium become the Twickenham Event Zone, Controlled Parking Zone R, run jointly by Richmond and Hounslow councils. Between 11am and 11pm only vehicles with a Zone R resident's or visitor's permit (or a valid permit for the overlapping zones HM, C, WR, WS and WC, or a Blue Badge) can park in the residents' bays, and the single yellow lines are enforced all day. The council publishes the event days in advance; the list covers internationals, big club matches, concerts and anything else expected to draw a crowd of roughly 25,000 or more. Full detail in road closures and the event zone.

Gotchas:

It starts at 11am even for a 4.40pm kick-off, and runs to 11pm even for a 1pm one.
It is bigger than you think. Whitton, St Margarets, the town centre and the Hounslow side of the A316 are all in it.
Pay-and-display bays and off-street car parks are separate: the permit rules don't apply to them, their own tariffs do.
Residents' visitor permits are the household's, two per address, and don't work in car parks. Don't buy one off a stranger.

2. Fines and removal

A Penalty Charge Notice in Richmond is £160 for the higher band (parking in a residents' or suspended bay, on the footway, on zig-zags, in a disabled bay without a badge) and £110 for the lower band (overstaying, no valid ticket), each halved if paid within 14 days. Hounslow's charges on its side of the zone are in the same range. On event days the councils also remove vehicles that are causing an obstruction or parked in suspended bays; the pound is not in Twickenham and the release fee plus the PCN is a very expensive afternoon.

3. Footway and verge parking

All of London bans parking with any wheel on the pavement or verge unless a sign specifically allows it. It is the higher-band fine and the classic way to get a ticket on a Whitton side street while the car next to you, in the road, is fine. Keep all four wheels on the tarmac.

4. Road closures and cones

Rugby Road, the stadium end of Whitton Road and London Road from King Street close about two hours before kick-off. A car left inside a closure, even legally parked, isn't going anywhere until the roads reopen. Coned bays on the approach roads are suspended for the day: parking in one is the higher-band offence and a removal candidate.

5. Your car park's own rules

Opening and closing times. Most community car parks open 3 to 4 hours before kick-off and close 2 hours after full time. The gate is locked after that.
Vehicle size. The official Cardinal Vaughan car park has a 6'1" height bar; Paradise Road in Richmond 6'4". Roof boxes and vans, check. Minibuses and coaches only where the listing says so: coaches and minibuses.
At your own risk. Almost every car park's terms say so. They are school playgrounds and church yards, not secure compounds.
Overnight. Not allowed anywhere on our list, and no camper vans in the official car parks.
The ticket. Most send a QR code or a PDF; have it on your phone with the brightness up. Some run “registration on the day” with a steward and a tablet; the stadium's Blue Badge car park does, and missing that step gets you a charge notice from the operator.

6. If the match moves

Postponements are rare but weather and broadcasting do shift kick-offs. Who you booked with decides what happens:

Official stadium parking follows the fixture's ticket terms: a rescheduled match usually carries the booking over; a cancelled one is refunded through the ticketing account.
School, scout and church car parks generally move the booking to the new date or refund, but they are volunteers with a spreadsheet, so email them and be patient.
Driveways on JustPark and YourParkingSpace follow those platforms' cancellation rules, which usually allow a free cancellation up to a cut-off before the booking starts. Cancel promptly.
A changed kick-off time doesn't change the event zone (still 11 to 11), but does change the road closures and probably your car park's opening time. Check the car park page again.

7. ULEZ and other charges

Twickenham has been inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone since August 2023: a non-compliant car pays £12.50 a day, midnight to midnight, so an evening match that ends after midnight is two days. Check the plate on TfL's site before you go. The Congestion Charge doesn't reach Twickenham. Coaches and heavy vehicles have their own scheme (the LEZ) with much bigger charges: see the coach guide.

8. Things people ask that have simple answers

“Can I park in the supermarket car park?” Only as a customer, only for their time limit (usually 2 to 3 hours), and the nearest one is used by the stadium for Blue Badge parking on match days. Parking-charge companies patrol the rest.
“What about the pub car park?” Customers only, a dozen spaces, inside the zone. No.
“Can I drop someone at the gates?” Before the closures, briefly. After, at the Stoop: drop-off and pick-up.
“I have a Blue Badge.” You can use the residents' bays in Zone R, with the badge displayed, and the stadium has a proper scheme: accessible parking.
“The sat-nav says there's a car park by the stadium.” There is. It's pre-book only and inside the closures. These are your real options.

Questions drivers ask

Can I park on the street near Twickenham Stadium on a match day?: Only with a resident’s or visitor’s permit for the Twickenham Event Zone (Zone R), or a Blue Badge. The zone runs 11am to 11pm on event days, covers roughly a mile around the stadium in both Richmond and Hounslow boroughs, and is patrolled. Everyone else needs a car park.
How much is a parking fine in Twickenham?: Richmond’s penalty charges are £160 for the higher-level offences (which include parking on the footway and in a suspended or residents’ bay) and £110 for the lower level, halved if you pay within 14 days. Vehicles can also be removed to the pound, which adds a release fee.
What are the Twickenham event day parking zone hours?: 11am to 11pm on every event day, whatever time the match kicks off. The council publishes the list of event days in advance; a concert or a big club match counts as well as an England international.
What happens to my parking booking if the match is postponed?: It depends on who you booked with. The official stadium parking follows the ticket terms for the fixture. The school and scout car parks are run by volunteers and mostly move your booking to the new date or refund it; ask them. Driveway bookings on JustPark and YourParkingSpace follow those sites’ cancellation policies, which usually allow a free cancellation up to a cut-off.
Is Twickenham in the ULEZ?: Yes. The whole of the borough of Richmond, including TW1 and TW2, has been inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone since August 2023. A non-compliant car pays £12.50 a day, midnight to midnight. The Congestion Charge does not apply.

Sources: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (Twickenham event zone, PCN charges, resident and visitor permit guides); London Borough of Hounslow; England Rugby help centre (event day CPZ); Transport for London (ULEZ); car park operators’ terms.

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