The Globe Theatre will pause a performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at 3pm on Sunday for the Government’s emergency alert.
The play is one of many public events that will be interrupted on Sunday as ministers carry out a nationwide test of the service.
The alerts are designed for situations where there is an imminent danger to life, such as during extreme weather events or a terror attack.
At 3pm on Sunday, millions of mobile phones will vibrate and make a siren sound for roughly ten seconds.
There are about 87million mobile phones in the UK and the Government says about 95 per cent of the population has 4G or 5G access.
Older phones, and phones connected to 2G or 3G networks, will not receive the message.
Phones that are switched off or in airplane mode will also not get the alert.
The text of the message will read: ‘This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
The Globe Theatre will pause a performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at 3pm on Sunday for the Government’s emergency alert
The play is one of many public events that will be interrupted on Sunday as ministers carry out a nationwide test of the service
At 3pm on Sunday, millions of mobile phones will vibrate and make a siren sound for roughly ten seconds. The Globe Theatre (pictured) will pause their performance
‘You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
‘Find simple and effective advice on how to prepare for emergencies at gov.uk/prepare, external.’
A Cabinet Office source joked of the interruption to Twelfth Night that it was a case of ‘To beep or not to beep, that is the question’ before adding: ‘At 3pm on Sunday we are asking our friends and countrymen to lend us their ears as we hold a nationwide test of the Emergency Alerts system.
‘The isle will be full of noises, but as it’s just a test, be not afraid.’
Two Women’s Rugby World Cup fixtures will be taking place when the test takes place: Italy vs Brazil and New Zealand vs Ireland.
The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre said that theatres will ask audiences to turn off their phones during matinee performances.
Four fixtures in the Women’s Super League 2 start at 2pm – Birmingham City v Bristol City, Charlton Athletic v Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest v Newcastle, Portsmouth v Durham – will wait until after the test before starting the second half.
In the Scottish Women’s Premier League, kickoff for the Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers will be delayed by five minutes.
There are about 87million mobile phones in the UK and the Government says about 95 per cent of the population has 4G or 5G access
In the Scottish Women’s Premier League, kickoff for the Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers will be delayed by five minutes
The alert was used to contact around three million in England and Wales during Storm Darragh
England also play South Africa in the ODI Cricket International Series at the Rose Bowl but will pause the match at 3pm for the test.
The 3pm kickoff for the Hull Derby in the rugby Betfred Super League will also be delayed by five minutes.
The national system to send the emergency alert will be tested for the second time this Sunday afternoon.
The previous test, in April 2023, revealed a number of technical issues including some users receiving multiple messages and others getting nothing at all.
The alert will be sent to all smartphones on the UK’s 4G and 5G networks, even if they are not connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi.
The messages are designed to alert local communities to emergencies or to events that endanger life.
Five real life alerts have seen sent to more than seven million mobile phone users, external since the system began.
It was used to contact around 4.5million phones in Scotland and Northern Ireland during Storm Eowyn in January 2025, and around three million in England and Wales during Storm Darragh the previous month.
It was also used to help co-ordinate the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents in Plymouth as an unexploded 500kg World War Two bomb was carefully removed and taken out to sea to be detonated.