THE TEST EVENTS THAT ARE PAVING OUR WAY TO FREEDOM
HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB Liverpool, April 16
THE first venue to welcome back crowds will be the M&S Bank arena in Liverpool, where 300 people will watch comics Paul Smith, Adam Rowe, Jamie Sutherland and Mick Ferry at an event staged by the city’s Hot Water Comedy Club. Club co-founder Binty Blair said: ‘The arena holds 1,200 and we can let in 300. It won’t be quite back to normality but it is a step in the right direction.’
LUNA CINEMA Liverpool, April 23-25
ONE thousand movie fans will be allowed into this open-air cinema event. Films will be shown on Liverpool’s famous Waterfront, though the movie choices are yet to be finalised. Luna Cinema founder George Wood said: ‘After months only being able to watch films at home, the return of the bigscreen cinema experience will get us all excited.’
FA CUP FINAL Wembley Stadium, May 15
THE finale of the famous knockout football competition will see 21,000 fans allowed in to Wembley Stadium. Last year’s final, won by Arsenal, was played behind closed doors with no fans allowed in for the first time in the competition’s 149-year history. This year’s event could see Manchester City fans, right, watch their team clinch an historic treble.
FA CUP SEMI-FINAL Wembley Stadium, April 18
FOUR thousand fans will return to football for this FA Cup Semi-Final clash between Leicester City and Southampton at Wembley Stadium. It will be UK football’s largest crowd since the first lockdown last year but tickets will be allocated only to local residents, including Brent Council staff, NHS and other health workers, teachers and students over the age of 18.
CARABAO CUP FINAL Wembley Stadium, April 25
THE crowd for Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City’s clash in the Carabao Cup Final will be capped at 4,000 and it remains unclear if City fans will be allowed to travel down from Manchester. Spectators will have to return a negative lateral flow test 24 hours before attending, showing proof to gain entry. They must also take a PCR home test afterwards.
MASS PARTICIPATION RUN Hatfield House, April 24-25
THREE 10km fun runs will take place at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire with 3,000 people and up to 3,000 spectators allowed at each. Organisers from London Marathon Events believe there will be huge interest at the events – staged at this grand Jacobean mansion – given the suspension of hundreds of running events over the past year.
WORLD SNOOKER Crucible Theatre, April 17-May 3
THERE will be a full house of 1,000 fans for snooker’s blue riband event at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. Tickets for each day have already sold out. World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn said: ‘This is fabulous news for the players who have really missed the buzz of playing in front of a crowd. The atmosphere on the first morning at the Crucible will be better than ever.’
ACC BUSINESS EVENT Liverpool, April 28
ONE thousand business people will attend this conference at ACC Liverpool on April 28. The venue, on the banks of the Mersey on the city’s waterfront, opened in 2008 and has hosted three Labour Party annual conferences over the past decade. ACC attendees will undergo a lateral flow Covid test before they are allowed to mingle in the centre.
CIRCUS NIGHTCLUB Liverpool, April 30-May 1
THREE thousand dance music fans are expected to attend these Circus club nights in Liverpool. The venue is yet to be announced and ticket information will also be released at a later date, say organisers. The Circus club began in 2002 and has become a mainstay of the city’s nightlife.