The Luna Cinema On The Waterfront is an official trial event, part of the Government’s Events Research Programme (ERP). Attendees will play a vital role in this science-led research that will provide key data to support the reopening of live events and venues.

Once again, the spotlight is on Liverpool, and this event will be crucial to how many different venues – from major sport stadiums to theatres, live music spaces, wedding venues to conference centres – could operate this summer.

It’s time to round up your mates, your families, or plan that long overdue date night and enjoy an evening of movie magic on the big screen! The sun looks set to shine this weekend and a secret outdoor location on the Liverpool waterfront will be the only place in the UK that you can get together with your loved ones and live life like it’s 2019.

There’ll be no social distancing, no masks and no rule of 6. But there will be cold beers and fizz, delicious food and memories to be made. Whether you want the time of your life with Baby and Johnny in Dirty Dancing, to come alive with Hugh Jackman as The Greatest Showman or to rock out to Queen with Bohemian Rhapsody, we’ve got you covered-all you need to do is buy a ticket and enjoy your first proper night out in ages, as The Luna Cinema presents three nights of classic cinema under the stars.

Performances include:

  • The Greatest Showman – Friday 14 May at 8:30pm
  • Dirty Dancing – Saturday 15 May at 8:30pm
  • Bohemian Rhapsody – Sunday 16 May at 8:30pm

Tickets cost £15 and due to the nature of the research programme, only one ticket can be purchased per person. Doors will open at 7pm with the film starting at 8.30pm. Drinks and food can be purchased onsite.

In order to be eligible for a ticket for these events you must be:

  • Over 18
  • Living in the Liverpool City Region and registered to a local GP
  • Healthy and showing no sign of Covid-19 symptoms

You cannot attend this event if you:

  • Have been advised that you are clinically vulnerable
  • Are shielding, or someone you live with is shielding
  • Are pregnant

Find out more

Director of Culture Liverpool, Claire McColgan, said:

“Once again Liverpool is blazing a trail and is shaping how a crucial sector, one we all know so well and love, can reopen safely in the coming months.

“In the days since the government announced we were part of their research programme, a huge amount of work has taken place behind the scenes to bring together the events and the science worlds, so that we can focus on how to open venues up safely again and let the night-time economy thrive once more.

“Being the most filmed city outside of London, it’s fitting that we kick-start our programme with the open-air cinema programme. Tickets going on sale is an exciting milestone and we look forward to welcoming audiences back to this events city once again.”

George Wood, Managing Director and founder of The Luna Cinema, said:

“We are determined to support the reopening of the events and live entertainment industry after such a challenging last twelve months.

“We hope that in presenting these three nights of cinema under the stars on the iconic waterfront, we can provide a fantastic evening out for the local community, whilst allowing the gathering of valuable data to support the return to full capacity events this summer.

“We are all keen to get back to what we love doing, whether it’s theatre, concerts, comedy or cinema in all its forms – the joy of the shared experience of public events is one of the many things we’ve lost over the last year.

“There’s no better place than Liverpool to begin the positive step forwards with the undertaking of this series of events as part of the national Events Research Programme, to enable the entire country to enjoy a summer of entertainment outside of the sitting room, after so many months of lockdown.

“We’re delighted to play our part in this initiative and can’t wait to welcome the people of Liverpool for some incredible nights of cinema under the stars.”

Professor Iain Buchan, Dean of the Institute of Population Health at the University of Liverpool, said:

“The Events Research Programme will be studying how local public health teams and communities can make live music, sports, theatre and business events as safe as possible by getting tested within 36 hours of the event, by not going to the event if you develop any symptoms, and by keeping to all usual Covid-19 safety measures on public transport to and from the event and at work or when mixing with others as society reopens.

“The venues chosen for the events are deliberately airy or outdoors. The air quality of indoor events will be studied, as will crowd movements.”

“In order to attend these research events, participants will be asked for their consent to take part in a study, where they will be asked questions and take some nasal swabs at home. Only one of the tests, a rapid Lateral Flow Test antigen test, looking for signs of live virus in the nose, will be used to gain entry to the event, and this will be taken at a testing centre.

“Researchers will evaluate how feasible the safety measure are to run and how well they inform local public health teams, who will need to adapt the measures if background infection rates rise.”

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