Thousands of revellers without face coverings danced shoulder-to-shoulder to live music for the first time in more than a year at a pilot music festival.
Around 5,000 people packed into Sefton Park in Liverpool on Sunday for the outdoor gig that included performances from Blossoms, The Lathums and Liverpool singer-songwriter Zuzu.
Everyone had to produce negative Covid tests to enter the event but did not have to wear face coverings or follow social distancing rules.
It is hoped that these test events will pave the way for festivals and venues across the country to reopen for mass gatherings.
This is a chance for us to prove that you can do events safely. That you can do them well. You can work with brilliant partners like Festival Republic, the Good Business Festival and Circus and we can get this economy up and running really safely.
Claire McColgan, Director of Culture Liverpool
It’s not about vaccines, it’s not about passports, it’s not about limiting it to a section of society only: it’s about a universal approach to our love of live music for all and demonstrating we can do it safely.
Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic
Pilot events – what happens next?
We caught up with scientific researchers Professor Iain Buchan, Professor Marta Garcia-Finana and Dr Michael Humann from the University of Liverpool to find out what they hope to achieve.
