The first nightclub event in the UK for over a year is set to take place in Liverpool tonight (Friday, April 30).
Liverpool nightclub Circus is hosting the two-day The First Dance event, which will welcome 6,000 clubbers to the city's Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse. The event will not require any social distancing or face coverings, as it is hoped it will pave the way for more clubs to open across the country.
Ticket holders will have to take a lateral flow test 24 hours before the event and produce a negative result to gain entry. Only people from the Liverpool City Region can purchase tickets, which started from £32.50, and they must be registered to a local GP and be healthy. They must also have no sign of Covid-19 symptoms and be aged over 18.
Potential attendees have also been "strongly advised" not to go if they are clinically vulnerable, shielding or living with someone shielding, or are pregnant. The line-up includes Fatboy Slim, Jayda G and DJ Yousef Zahar, who is also the co-owner of Circus Liverpool. In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced plans to re-open the country’s hospitality sector indoors from May 17.
The event is part of the national Events Research Programme (ERP), which will provide data on how events for a range of audiences could be permitted to safely reopen as part of the roadmap out of lockdown.
DJ Yousef said: "The First Dance is going to be a historic moment for electronic music and all events across in the UK. As the date nears and the weekend of events becomes closer to reality, me and the team at Circus all share an almost overwhelming feeling of pride, emotion, excitement and of course responsibility for what lies ahead.
"Together with the team at Liverpool City Council, we have safely crafted these events together, with a singular focus to help the UK get closer to life beyond COVID, which for myself and Circus has been a great honour. We can't wait to see the dance floor erupt time and time again as it has over the last 18 years."
Director of Culture Liverpool, Claire McColgan, added: "This hasn't been an easy process, and it's particularly hard as the night-time sector hasn't been open for over a year. It will be a different event to what people are used to - from the ticketing process to getting a negative lateral flow test before you're allowed entry. But anyone who attends will not only be helping to get clubs up and running in Liverpool, they will be pioneers for the whole country."
