While the government has closed restaurants and bars, banned weddings and baptisms, and prohibited meetings between friends and family who do not live together, that does not mean all celebrations are off. There are alternative ways to mark life’s special milestones, even in lockdown.
Children’s birthdays
The London-based drama group Magical Quests is offering video-based celebrations via the app Zoom. Its founder, Jessica Kingsley, has been inundated with hundreds of requests since her Frozen party for a four-year-old boy was featured on BBC News. She starred as Elsa, using virtual backgrounds, “and the kids just totally believed it was Elsa talking to them”.
Her team of actors, who usually appear in person, are now available to appear on screen as Rapunzel, superheroes, Ariel the mermaid, ninjas, pirates and a host of other characters.
“I’ve had grandparents on, even though they are the ones at risk. They are sitting there feeling terrible for grandchildren and are booking these as surprises,” said Kingsley, who founded the company 15 years ago and has about a dozen actors on her books.
She is even planning events for grownups. One woman, from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, who had been planning an 80s-themed dinner party, has booked her to perform impersonations “while they all enjoy their dinner sitting on their own”, she said.
Dinner à deux
It’s still possible to have a romantic anniversary dinner without raiding the precious store cupboard and with no washing-up to do afterwards. Restaurants may be shut, but the lockdown allows takeaway delivery services, with some top-class establishments available.
Peter Georgiou, the founder of Supper, an upmarket order and delivery platform, said: “We have demand off the charts, both restaurants and customers.” While restaurants are closing on a daily basis, others are coming onboard, he added.
Michelin-starred establishments on the platform include Ollie Dabbous’ Hide, and the Mayfair Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan. “Our average spend is between £90 and £100 right now. I think because people are so bored, and London is full of very rich people, they are at home and thinking: well, I want a nice lunch, I want a nice dinner,” said Georgiou. “It’s phenomenal. The amount of orders far exceeds anything before coronavirus. I haven’t stopped working since this started.”
Film nights
Being separated from your amore during lockdown doesn’t have to mean missing out on film date nights. Apps such as Zoom or Netflix Party allow synchronised film watching no matter the physical distance between you.
Because of cinema closures, several studios have announced plans to rush their film to digital release ahead of schedule. Most will be available on various on-demand platform services. Early digital releases so far include Emma, based on the Jane Austen novel, the thriller The Hunt, the science fiction horror film The Invisible Man, and the superhero film Bloodshot. With more early releases expected, there should be plenty of choice.
Garden and balcony parties
Videos of Italians in lockdown enjoying communal singing from apartment balconies have been enjoyed by millions on social media. The UK is following suit. Last week, neighbours helped Bernard Burgess celebrate his 84th birthday in Bramhall, Greater Manchester, by singing Happy Birthday from their windows as he gave them a wave. Those with gardens or balconies can easily emulate this way of letting someone special know you are thinking of them – provided everyone remains the requisite two metres apart.
Or if you just fancy a singsong
The TV choirmaster Gareth Malone is organising the Great British Home Choir, to cheer up the nation. The ambitious digital music project has already had more than 15,000 professional and amateur performers sign up and they will soon be sent music to learn.
“It’s unprecedented to have such social isolation and it feels like the right time to be doing this – to give people the resources and instruction on how to download and record a song with your family – and make that part of something bigger. We have to keep our spirits up,” he told his local newspaper, the Ham and High in north London.
• This article was amended on 30 March 2020 because an earlier version included Le Comptoir Robuchon among restaurants offering delivery via the Supper platform. That restaurant has decided that, for now, it cannot offer that service.
