Nightclubs 'turning into pubs' to show England football games to survive extended lockdown

A number of late night venues across the UK have turned themselves into pubs so they can continue to generate revenue following the extension to the Government’s Covid-19 restrictions, according to digital ticketing and events platform FIXR.

The company, which works with some of the largest nightlife operators in the country, says nightclubs have started to advertise packages around England’s 2020 Euro football championship games.

These include Code in Sheffield and REKOM UK-owned PRYZM, which plans to show the match between England and Scotland on Friday 18 June at its venues in Nottingham, Leeds and Watford, with venues that usually hold up to 2,500 people welcoming smaller attendances to comply with social distancing rules.

Nightclub business are being forced to take this approach following the announcement on Monday (14 June) by Prime Minister Boris Johnson of a four-week delay to the 21 June unlocking of the Government’s Covid-19 restrictions.

Industry body the Night Time Industries Association said that the delay would leave more than 5,000 planned live shows across the UK at risk or forced to cancel.

In the run-up to the planned unlocking on 21 June, data from FIXR found that event listings in England were up 90% on its platform for the first 30 days following June 21, compared to the same period in 2019.

“There was a huge wave of enthusiasm across the nightlife industry ahead of the 21 June unlocking. The government’s announcement of a four-week delay was a huge blow and has meant that the whole industry had to scramble to refund tickets, stand staff down and reorganise themselves,” says Edmund Glover, CEO of FIXR.

“Despite this mass disruption, we have been pleased to see that the industry is increasingly embracing new and creative ways of generating revenue and keeping their customers happy, even if they can’t head to the dancefloor yet. Let us hope that 19 July is not a false dawn for the industry.”