LONDON, Dec 30 — Dressed as Elvis, Asterix or Snow White, usually with a drink in hand, fans transform London’s Alexandra Palace into an overheated darts temple for a world championship that resembles “a Christmas party”

“Twenty per cent of people are here for the darts, 80 per cent for the atmosphere and everything else. I’m fifty-fifty. I want to see the darts, but I also want to soak all this up,” Stephen, a 44-year-old Englishman from Sunderland tells AFP.

His nephew Callum, 28, says that at the World Matchplay in Blackpool “more people go for the darts”.

“At the ‘Ally Pally’ it’s more about dressing up and having a drink, it’s like a Christmas party for everyone!”

At the entrance to the elegant Victorian exhibition hall on a hill in North London, British, German and Dutch fans, often friends who have chosen to wear the same costume, form a joyful and colourful parade.

There are bees, roosters, Dalmatians, a fisherman and his two friends dressed as fish, a group of six dressed as Superman, two others as Snow White, three monks and as many individuals in disco outfits, fake prisoners in orange jumpsuits and even Minions.

“Everyone just makes such an effort, gets dressed up, has the best time. Watch a bit of darts, blether, have a drink, it’s fantastic,” said Gillian Sutherland from Dornoch, Scotland, who is dressed as a nun and has a beer in her hand.

Inside, more than 3,000 people crowd into the West Hall, which hosts three matches per session every afternoon and evening for three weeks, leading up to the final on Saturday.

Tickets, which went on sale in August, sold out “in a matter of hours,” a tournament spokesperson told AFP.

These precious tickets cost £55-£65 (RM300-360) for the first round and up to £100 for the final, depending on where you sit.

The hall is surrounded by seating in stands but immediately behind the competitors are rows of tables filled with fans.

The crowd reacts loudly to every point, shouting and cheering their favourites, booing competitors they dislike, often standing up to sing along to catchy tunes, such as the popular “Hey Baby” from the film Dirty Dancing, or to chant “stand up if you love the darts!”

Some sing God Save The King to cheer on the darling of the evening, England’s Luke Humphries. Others try to catch the lens of the British broadcaster Sky Sports’ cameras with placards or theatrical gestures.

“I’d seen it on the TV before, but I never expected it to be like this in person. It’s crazy,” said Ollie Crawford, a young man from Sheffield wearing a fake dartboard around his neck.

‘It’s wild’ 

Luca Phlug, a 25-year-old German said he enjoys the community.

“We’re all together, we play darts together, we like darts and it’s awesome,” he said. “The atmosphere is very, very impressive.”

In this disco-like atmosphere, where cheerleaders entertain the crowd before matches, the audience is overwhelmingly male.

Sutherland says that is changing.

“Predominantly it’s guys who are the players, predominantly it’s men, but there are more women now coming into the darts,” she said.

“But we just love it, we have the best time, and there’s a few of us now, a few girls that come, so there should be more women, they should get more involved, because they’d have a great time.”

“It’s wild. It’s the best night out ever,” she said. — AFP