The Great North Run said its races would start on Sunday, claiming the 60,000 runners taking part would raise £25m for charity, “a fitting tribute to the Queen, who gave her life in the service of our country and of her people”. A similar justification was invoked for the London to Brighton cycle, which was also confirmed to take place on Sunday. “We have a huge responsibility both to our charities who rely on the significant amount of money raised and to you participants who have trained so hard,” organizers said. Theaters are expected to remain open from Friday night and throughout the period of national mourning until the funeral, although UK Theater and the Society of London Theaters said the lights would be dimmed for two minutes at 7pm. every afternoon. National guidance states that “there is no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting events” during the mourning period, leaving it up to individual organizations to decide whether to proceed. Events conflicting with the state funeral – the date of which has not yet been set but is expected to be Monday September 19 – are much more likely to be postponed, with the government not suggesting at all that organizers may act “as a mark of respect “. The Premier League appeared to be something of an outlier, with most other sporting events, including Premiership rugby matches and Super League matches taking place. England’s men’s Test cricket against South Africa will resume after a day off on Friday. Public opinion appears to be against canceling events during the mourning period, and some organizers said another factor in their decision-making was that insurance policies were considered unlikely to pay out if an event was postponed. Thursday night’s Mercury Prize at the Apollo Theater in Hammersmith was postponed at the last minute, with performers arriving at the venue around the time the Queen’s death was announced. A source said the decision cost £1m but organizers had little choice due to the conflict of circumstances. London Fashion Week, scheduled to run from Friday next week to next Monday, is set to be played on a low-key basis, although events planned for the possible day of the state funeral are expected to be rescheduled. Organizers of the event, the British Fashion Council, said “all non-essential business events in the official program should be cancelled”, including parties and openings, as a mark of respect. Burberry has canceled its scheduled catwalk show next Friday. London’s Hackney Carnival, a celebration of African-Caribbean culture, which was due to take place on Sunday, was canceled by Hackney council on Friday morning, sparking local complaints. The council said it was acting in response to the 10-day mourning period and added: “We know many people will feel extremely disappointed and we are sorry for the sadness and disruption this will cause.”
