A nightclub in Bristol has been criticised for organising an all-night rave that finishes on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
The late monarch’s funeral will take place in London on Monday 19 September, with the day being designated as an extra bank holiday in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
That means that loads of things are set to close, including schools, nurseries, and – controversially – food banks.
However, Bristol nightclub Motion has defended their decision to continue their plans to hold a ‘free rave’ which starts at 8:00pm on Sunday and concludes at 5:00am on Monday morning – a good six hours before the Queen’s funeral is set to commence.
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The club announced plans for a ‘massive bank holiday banger’ on Monday this week, and they’ll be hoping to see hundreds of clubbers head to their location to party the night away.
Not everyone is so happy about it, though, as some have expressed their disappointment, with others calling the event ‘distasteful’.
Now, the organisers have released a statement defending their decision, whilst addressing some of the issues that people might have.
A spokesperson for Motion said: "We were due to host the after parties for the Tokyo World Festival this week, however, due to the perfect storm of Brexit and Covid-19, First Bus has cancelled the planned transport from Eastville Park to the venue in BS2.
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"In light of these being cancelled, and with wages, increasing power costs plus multiple other factors of life in 2022, we felt we were not in the position to keep the venue shut.
They added: "As with everyone else we were truly saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8 and wish the new King all the best in his new role.
“God Save The King.”
The club has also announced that there will be a moment of silence before the start of the event at 8:00pm both inside and outside the club and ‘all staff and attendees are being asked to respect this decision’.
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"We have sought advice already and understand that there are no restrictions on this bank holiday.
“We do, of course, 100 per cent appreciate and are thankful for everyone's support over the recent years and into the future," the statement said.
One Motion attendee, who wished to remain nameless, told ITV News that they were disappointed with the nightclub’s decision.
They said: "I'm a little disappointed that local nightclub Motion is running an event on Sunday to take advantage of the bank holiday on Monday - it's a little distasteful,
"I'm not in any way a Royalist but when they rely on local support for planning abatement and deeds of easements - it's beyond rude.
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“I'm actually a keen patron of theirs but I'm shocked."
Topics: UK News, The Queen, Royal Family, Music, Weird
Tom Wood