Wembley Stadium has announced a rule change for Harry Styles’s show tonight, as the UK braces for an extreme heatwave this week.
The pop star is scheduled to continue his record-breaking 12-night run at the London venue – where he is being supported by country-pop legend Shania Twain – on 23 June as part of his ongoing Together, Together tour.
The show is to go ahead as planned, but Wembley organisers have relaxed the stadium’s usual water bottle policy as temperatures are set to reach highs of 38 or 39 degrees in the capital.
The Met Office has issued a rare red warning for parts of southern England and southeast Wales, with hundreds of schools partially closed and some planning to shut fully on Wednesday and Thursday.
Metal water bottles are typically not permitted, but fans are now allowed to bring metal or hard plastic water bottles to Tuesday’s show, where they can be filled at the venue’s free refill stations.
Empty soft-plastic bottles up to 500ml will also be permitted, while bottled water sold across all bars at the stadium will be reduced in price by 50 per cent. Free sun cream will be available from information points inside Wembley.
Fans are being advised to drink plenty of water, take breaks in areas with shade, wear sun cream, dress in loose, breathable clothing and avoid getting to the venue too early.
Doors to the venue open at 5pm; Twain has been starting her set at 6.55pm, while Styles goes on around 8.15pm and concludes his set by 10.30pm.
On Tuesday morning, National Rail urged people to “please only travel if absolutely necessary” due to the severe weather warnings, while Avanti West Coast and Great Western Railway are running fewer trains on some routes due to the forecast.
Transport for London said the entire Mildmay overground line was operating at a reduced service due to “hot weather mitigation”.
Scientists have warned that politicians are failing to acknowledge the severity of the climate crisis, as forecasts show that temperatures in some parts of the UK could hit 40 degrees for just the second time since records began.
“There’s a sad inevitability to all of this, with scientists like me trotting out the same quotes year after year. Yes, it’s climate change, yes it’s us, no it’s not El Niño,” professor Friederike Otto of Imperial College London told The Independent.
“Right now, children are struggling to finish their exams in sweltering classrooms and the elderly are enduring dangerously hot homes and care facilities with little relief,” she added.
“This heat is not an inconvenience, it is a growing public health threat. Every heatwave puts lives at risk, and it’s long past time we treated it with the urgency it demands.”
