Brit Awards 2021: How the ceremony will host a 4,000 strong crowd with no masks or social distancing

ITV News Arts Editor Nina Nannar explains how this year's Brit Awards will work


I’ve had my lateral flow Covid-19 test (negative) and I’ve filled out my health questionnaire.

Not exactly rock and roll but this is how one prepares for the Brits 2021.

British music's biggest night is always spectacular and in a normal year the line up for tonight would be enough to make the headlines - Dua Lipa, Pink, Coldplay. 


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After criticism in the past over an all male nominations list, this year brings the most diverse set of nominations in Brits history. 

So that alone would make for a memorable and newsworthy event.

But more than that, this is the first major indoor music event for more than a year and what happens at the O2 tonight and in the weeks following could determine what the live events industry looks like in the weeks to come.

The O2 can hold 20,000 - tonight it will welcome just 4,000 guests, most of them invited NHS workers as a thank you from the industry. 

Stormzy performing on stage at the Brit Awards 2020 at the O2 Arena, London. Credit: PA

They won’t be wearing masks once their Covid test shows as negative, and they won’t need to socially distance.

They’ll also need to be tested in the days after the event. 

But that could be a small price to pay if the industry gets what it wants - the return to full capacity events post June 21, the next proposed stage in the lifting of restrictions.

So well after the winners have finished their celebrations, the scientists, health leaders, politicians and industry experts will be analysing the data as part of the government's pilot test event programme.

This year the Brits is more than an awards show.