The nightclub event will welcome 6,000 people across two days, with clubbers being told to take a COVID-19 test 24 hours before attending the venue
The first legal nightclub event in the UK for over a year is set to take place at the end of this month in Liverpool.
The event will be held across two nights, with the nightclub Circus hosting The First Dance event, which will be welcoming 6,000 club-goers to the city’s Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse.
The event will not require any form of social distancing or face masks, as it is hoped that it will pave the way for more nightclubs to reopen their doors across the UK.
The line-up will include the likes of Fatboy Slim, Jayda G and DJ Yousef Zahar, who is also the co-owner of the Circus nightclub in Liverpool.
This comes after 1.1 million people in private households in the UK have reported having long COVID, latest estimates show. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) defined the condition as symptoms that lasted more than four weeks and are self-reported, rather than clinically diagnosed.
This groundbreaking event is part of the national Events Research Programme (ERP), that will be providing data on how different events for a range of audiences could be allowed to safely reopen as part of the nation’s roadmap out of the coronavirus lockdown.
Ticket holders will be required to take a lateral flow test 24 hours before the event takes places and produce a negative result in order to gain entry.
The event will take place on the 30th of April and the 1st of May.
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.”
This comes after First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has said that measures were being eased earlier than originally planned in order to help aid people’s mental health. People will be permitted to meet other adults in groups of up to six from as many six households within outdoor settings.
Claire McColgan, Director of Culture Liverpool, 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.”
COVID-19 pilot schemes have already been trialled at the FA Cup semi-final in Wembley Stadium, with further trials set to take place at the FA Cup final, as well as a screening taking place at Liverpool’s Luna Outdoor Cinema.
This comes after travel from India into the UK is being banned for all non-UK and Irish citizens after the country was added to the travel “red list“. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the “vital but difficult” decision has been made due to a new COVID variant first identified in India.
Lockdown restrictions have slowly begun to ease in the UK since March, with the nation’s schools reopening first.
On the 12th of April, restaurants, pubs and non-essential retail reopened, while people are now being permitted to meet in groups of six outside.
From the 17th of May, all social contact rules will be lifted outdoors, however gatherings over 30 will remain illegal.
The current roadmap projects the 21st of June for all restrictions to be lifted, but this is dependent on the coronavirus vaccine rollout as well as hospital administrations within the country.
