Everton are set to open the doors of Goodison Park for fans to visit one final time with three days of events.
The club has applied for a licence to hold events at Goodison Park between 19 May and 2 June 2025 and if the council approves it will allow the club to open the doors of the stadium from 9am to 11pm each day. The licence also seeks approval for the sale of alcohol, playing of live music, film and dance performances.
The bar and music licence would run from 11am to 10pm if approved and hints at full day events taking place at Goodison Park once the season ends.
It will be the final chance for Everton fans to say goodbye to the club’s second stadium in the city after 132 years. The club will move to a new stadium at Bramley Moore in 2025.
The licence hints at a dedicated Goodison Park farewell event as the club struggles to organise a celebration for the stadium. Earlier this year it was forced to cancel an event at the stadium due to low ticket sales. That event chose to invite former players to speak to fans but featured a bizarre guest list including the likes of flop signing Roysten Drenthe.
Fans complained about high ticket prices and uninspiring lineup and after a major push for sales the club decided to cancel the two planned events.
Given the club has been selling a huge amount of Goodison Park tours as fans hope to see the inside of the famous stadium for the final time, it makes sense to create an event that allows fans to explore Goodison Park. Something more like a heritage open day with entertainment would be a more popular choice than a sit-down event with guest speakers in the eyes of the Everton fans.
Liverpool as a city already has examples of fantastic heritage events including Light Night, where the city’s major venues open their doors to allow the public to see inside and take part in small pop up events. It should provide a blueprint for Everton’s plan for Goodison Park if the licence application is approved.
Forced large Boxpark-style singalong events and dry interviews with former players is not likely to inspire Evertonians who simply want to say goodbye to one of the great stadiums of world football. It seems the club has finally switched its plans to accomodate a more fitting tribute as the club moves into a new era.
Pic: Biloblue, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons