LONDON — On his World Darts Championship debut, 16-year-old Luke Littler is one game away from winning the sport’s biggest prize and a £500,000 ($630,000) jackpot.
But it wasn’t the strangest sight at perhaps the most glamorous event on the British sporting calendar.
For three weeks between December and January, it’s party time at London’s Alexandra Palace (also known as Ally Pally), where grown men dress up as babies and wear the craziest outfits ever. People gather to enjoy the festival.
At Wednesday’s epic final, won by world number one Luke Humphries, fans watched everything from characters from Alice in Wonderland to pop stars and rockers such as Elton John, David Bowie and Michael Jackson. Even stars came in various costumes.
A woman could be seen limbo dancing among a group of men dressed as traffic cones, and someone wearing a foam dart board on their head was soon seen.
It’s an event with a quintessentially British feel, as fans come together to celebrate one of the country’s most loved sports.
What has created such a cult phenomenon is not only the thrilling action on stage, but also the atmosphere created by the raucous crowd. It is estimated that approximately 90,000 fans will attend during the event.
Perhaps aided by the giant pitcher of beer flying around the room, the crowd cried out their love for the sport just as much as the individual competitors.
“If you love darts, stand up,” they sing, and the names of the two former Ivorian international footballers are probably chanted more than any of the actual darts stars featured on the show.
Yaya and Kolo Toure’s names are sung to the song “No Limit” by 1990s Eurodance act 2 Unlimited. If it sounds random, that’s because it is. Still, it all contributes to the overall strangeness of the place.
Littler was supposed to be the tournament’s youngest-ever winner, but his unexpected breakthrough earned him front-page headlines and celebrity fans around the world.
It will also spread the word about darts to a wider audience and may attract even more fans when the next World Darts Championship resumes in December.
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