BT Tower re-opens to the public for 50th birthday celebrations

2,400 lucky people will have the chance to enjoy drinks on the 34^th floor

2,400 lucky members of the public will get the unique opportunity to raise their glasses at the top of the BT Tower for free as part of the iconic building’s golden anniversary celebrations this autumn.

Between Saturday, 3 October and Monday, 5 October the tower will re-open for 30 minute ‘flights’ to the famous 34^th floor.

Once again the public will have a chance to see the views by entering a ballot with the lucky winners drawn at random. Each winner will be able to bring up to three guests (including under 18’s).

The ‘flights’ follow the amazing success of the restaurant re-opening for two weeks earlier this summer which saw 60,000 people apply, from all over the globe, for one of the 1,400 coveted tickets.

The BT Tower is one of the UK’s most iconic landmarks and has featured in several movies over the years, including The Bourne Ultimatum. It was London’s tallest building from its opening through to 1980, during which period it was known as the Post Office Tower.

The building was officially opened by Prime Minister Harold Wilson on 8 October 1965, with the public restaurant opened by Tony Benn MP and Billy Butlin on 19 May, 1966. The 189m (620ft) Tower, equivalent to a line of 25 double-decker buses parked end-to-end, was closed to the public in 1971, except for the restaurant which remained open until 1980.

The ballot opens on Tuesday, 1 September at 9am on www.bt.com/bttower50 and will close at midnight on Monday, 7 September, with winners receiving an email by Friday, 11 September. There is no age limit for visitors but there must be at least one person over the age of 18 in each party.

The BT Tower has been an important communications hub for 50 years and is currently home to the TV Network Switching Centre. This carries broadcasting traffic and relays signals between broadcasters, production companies, advertisers, international satellite services and uplink companies.

The building has also helped charities to raise millions of pounds. The Disasters Emergency Committee has staged many appeals from the building whilst celebrities and BT volunteers have collected huge sums for televised appeals including Children in Need, Comic Relief and Sport Relief.