Lockdown Mastered to bring socially-distanced concert series to Southsea

A SERIES of socially-distanced concerts are coming to Southsea this month.
Lockdown Mastered will take place at Clarence Field. Picture: Portsmouth City CouncilLockdown Mastered will take place at Clarence Field. Picture: Portsmouth City Council
Lockdown Mastered will take place at Clarence Field. Picture: Portsmouth City Council

Lockdown Mastered will take place over two weeks at Clarence Field and features a line-up of music, comedy and family entertainment.

It runs from Thursday, August 20 to Saturday August 22 as well as from August 27 to August 29.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Portsmouth City Council announced that ticket sales from the concerts will raise funds for Rowans Hospice and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.

It will be the first time live entertainment has been back to the seafront since the coronavirus lockdown began in March.

Families or small groups will be able to book their own socially-distanced bubble to sit in while they enjoy the live shows.

Read More
23 fun memories of the popular Southsea Show

Each group will be allocated a spacious, clearly-marked area on the grass and people will be encouraged to bring their own picnics to enjoy while they soak up the music, comedy and children's shows.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cllr Steve Pitt, the council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Economic Development and Deputy Leader, said: ‘We wanted to try and bring live entertainment back to the seafront before the end of the summer.

‘We're really pleased to unveil Lockdown Mastered and its brilliant line-up for the whole family. We're taking steps to ensure everyone can enjoy themselves safely - we're creating socially-distanced bubbles across the field that are booked in advance and inviting people to bring along picnics or takeaways from local cafes and restaurants, rather than selling food on site.

‘We'll also have a Test and Trace system in place at the gates.’

There will be two events on each of the days when Lockdown Mastered takes place. During the afternoon show (2-4pm), families can enjoy children's acts including Silly Scott, Mister Tall and friends.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The evening performances (6-8pm) will feature live music from the Wedgewood Rooms, jazz nights and comedy shows, hosted by James Alderson.

Afternoon tickets will be £5 for adults (over 17s) and £2 for children – tickets for evening shows will be £10 for adults and £5 for children (over 7s only) and must be bought in advance through the Wedgewood Rooms website here.

Access to Lockdown Mastered will be strictly by pre-booked tickets only and the team at the gates will be recording each audience member's contact details, in line with Test and Trace guidelines.

Ticket-holders will be allocated a numbered bubble area on the grass in advance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The well-spaced bubbles will have plenty of room to allow up to six people to sit within them comfortably to enjoy the show.

Public toilets will be available but there won't be any food stalls or bar areas inside the site in order to limit queues and opportunities for people to gather. Everyone who attends will be asked to comply with all current social-distancing guidelines and advice.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.