Queens Park To Host Post-Palace AFC Bournemouth "End of Season" Party

The Queens Park Hotel, long regarded as the spiritual home of AFC Bournemouth supporters, is set to host a special end-of-season celebration around the Cherries’ final weekend home fixture against Crystal Palace on Sunday May 3rd 2026.

With kick-off at 2pm at the Vitality Stadium, the day will mark the last weekend home outing of a campaign that has seen Bournemouth push for European qualification. The occasion has been confirmed as the season’s final weekend fixture following Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Southampton - plus, it's a Bank Holiday weekend!

Supporters can expect the usual pre-match routine, with the pub opening from 11am, offering drinks and its popular pre-game menu. But this time, the celebrations won’t stop at full-time, as fans will be invited back after the match for an evening of food, drinks and live music, with local artist Archie Ray performing between 4:30pm and 6:30pm, creating a party atmosphere to round off the season.

Archie Ray is a singer-songwriter originally from Cornwall, where he released an EP and two singles, performed everywhere from local venues to BBC stages and major festival main stages, and earned radio play on BBC Introducing, BBC Cornwall and other local stations. 

Since relocating to Dorset and forming a band, Archie has continued to build momentum, securing further radio play and performing at a range of local shows and festivals including Teddy Rocks, Upton House and Anonymous Festival.

Describing his sound as "Mixed-Pop", Archie blends rock-pop ballads, catchy hip-hop influences and emotive soundscapes into his performances—creating an engaging live show that gets audiences involved and singing along.

The event comes against the backdrop of ongoing uncertainty surrounding the pub’s future, something landlord Joseph Bird spoke candidly about in a previous interview on Back of the Net - The AFC Bournemouth Fan Channel.

"Match days is the lifeblood of the pub", he explained. "It goes from not very busy during the week to instantly having four or five hundred people here."

Despite those bustling matchdays, Joseph admitted that sustaining the business outside of them has been increasingly difficult: "It’s around the rest of the time where it’s pretty tough at the moment."

He also highlighted the financial impact of modern football scheduling, with fixture changes hitting revenues hard: "The net loss for the five fixtures that have been moved [earlier in the season], would probably be about £10,000 to £12,000 compared to a normal Saturday".

Bird has invested heavily to keep the Queens Park Hotel running, even revealing: "I’ve invested… everything into it… cashing in my last pension last year. I also now have another job alongside working at the pub".

Rising costs, staffing challenges and wider economic pressures have all contributed to a difficult operating environment. Yet, his focus remains firmly on preserving what makes the pub special.

“This place… has stood here for generations,” he said. “It should be a generational fans pub.”

That sense of identity is central to its appeal. Bird added: “It’s a place that anyone can come, not be judged, sit down, have a pint… and just enjoy it.”

With the stadium set to evolve and fan habits shifting, Bird is urging supporters to continue backing the venue that has been part of the club’s matchday fabric for decades.

"Just keep coming… we really appreciate you," he said. "I don’t want Bournemouth to lose that."

The May 3rd celebration offers a timely opportunity for fans to do exactly that - coming together before and after the game to mark a memorable season, while supporting a pub that has stood alongside the club through generations.

For many, it won’t just be an end-of-season party - it will be a reminder of what makes following Bournemouth special.