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The Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, dubbed the happiest place on Earth, reopened to residents of the state on Friday more than a year after it shut down.

The park is not permitting groups larger than three households and capacity has been capped at 25 per cent. The reservation system showed that all parks within Disneyland — Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure park — are already sold out Friday and Saturday but Sunday tickets for the adventure park appeared to be available.

In the past Disneyland had only ever closed a few times — following the assassination of President John F Kennedy, after the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and on a few other occasions — but those closures lasted just one day.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida, opened at 35 per cent capacity in July last year.

Guests wearing protective masks walk past Sleeping Beauty Castle during the reopening of the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. © Bloomberg

Elsewhere, Liverpool this weekend is hosting the UK's first rave since coronavirus gripped the world more than a year ago as the northern English city welcomes up to 11,000 clubbers and music fans in a government-backed scheme aimed at putting on live events safely.

Circus nightclub let in 3,000 ticket holders, who will have tested negative for Covid-19, from 2pm on Friday to a converted warehouse at the Liverpool docks. The First Dance will run over two days at the club, with Fat Boy Slim in the line-up. Another 3,000 fans are expected to go through the door on Saturday.

Guests will come without masks and will not need to distance themselves from each other. The pilot scheme is part of England's four-step road map out of lockdown, which aims to lift nearly all coronavirus-related restrictions by June 21.

A gig on Sunday under a big black and yellow tent will be staged for 5,000 fans, with Blossoms, the music group from Stockport, headlining the show.

The government plans to test how to put on live Covid-free events safely. Sporting competitions, theatre shows, business conferences and cinema screenings are among the other events being tried out to encourage crowds back this summer. Participants will be tested for Covid-19 before and after the events.