Photos show thousands of British partygoers dancing in a warehouse without masks
Joey Hadden
People crammed into a warehouse to drink, socialize, and dance to techno music on April 30, 2021.Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
- People went to what looked like a rave in the UK last weekend, but it was totally legal.
- Scientists conducted a trial to see how fully reopening a club would affect COVID-19 transmission.
- After being tested for the virus, partygoers danced while packed together without masks at Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse.
On Friday night, 3,000 people in Liverpool, UK, lined up in excitement for a night of club dancing, just like they used to.
People line up outside of a nightclub in Liverpool, UK, on April 30, 2021.
REUTERS/Carl Recine
Maskless and shoulder to shoulder, clubgoers packed Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse with a DJ and vibed all night for a science experiment, as The New York Times reported.
People crammed into a warehouse to drink, socialize, and dance to techno music.
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
Source: The New York Times
It was part of a trial led by the University of Liverpool's Iain Buchan to see how a full reopening would work, including what measures clubs could use to reopen.
Nightclub Circus hosts the first dance event at Bramley-Moore Dock warehouse on April 30, 2021.
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
Source: The New York Times
Scientists used the event to see if crowds dancing indoors would increase the transmission of the virus, the BBC reported.
Two women dance together as Nightclub Circus hosts the first dance event in April 2021.
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
Source: BBC
With no mask mandates and bans on hand sanitizer - a precaution to prevent partygoers from bringing their own booze, according to The Times - participants acted as if the pandemic never happened.
People enjoy their time at a nightclub in April 2021.
REUTERS/Carl Recine
Source: The New York Times
While people partied like the pandemic was over, scientists monitored movements, carbon-dioxide levels, and ventilation throughout the event.
A woman enjoys her time at a nightclub for research on April 30, 2021.
REUTERS/Carl Recine
Source: The New York Times
The event continued on Saturday night, and participant Phill Turner told Insider it felt more like a rave than a club with "built-up energy within the room."
Phill Turner (right) pictured in an Instagram post from May 2, 2021, with the caption.
Courtesy of Phill Turner
Source: Phill Turner/Instagram
Turner said the whole event was "pure joy, apart from when the last song ended and it sank in that even though we were back, it would still be at least a few months until we experienced this again."
Confetti is fired into the crowd as Nightclub Circus hosts the first dance event in April 2021.
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
Liverpool's director of public health, Matthew Ashton, told Insider: "I'm so proud that Liverpool is leading the way in the reopening of the events sector. Thousands of people in the city have made history by taking part in a number of pilot events and the science and research will underpin everything moving forward." Representatives for Buchan didn't respond to Insider's request for comment on the results of the trial.
UK clubbers return to the dance floor on April 30, 2021.
Anthony Delvin/Getty Images
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