A man was punched unconscious by a group of men dressed as lobsters outside the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, the Metropolitan Police have said. The victim, aged in his 20s, had attended the tournament on Saturday December 13 2025 – the third day of the event – and left the venue shortly after 4.30pm. He encountered a group of men in lobster costumes and an argument broke out, prompting site security to separate them. But as he walked along the concourse moments later, the man ran into the same group again, and one of the men punched him, knocking him unconscious.
The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening but serious injuries. Police said he is still suffering from the effects of the assault. On Monday, the force released a CCTV image of a suspect they want to question, showing a man in a distinctive lobster costume. Detective Constable Lizzie Coster, leading the investigation, said: “This assault occurred outside at a major sporting event, and the suspect was wearing a distinctive costume. We are releasing a CCTV image of the suspect in the hope that it will jog the memory of attendees, or anyone else who was in the area at the time.” She added: “Our thoughts are with the victim in this case, and we hope the best for his recovery.”
“A man was punched unconscious by a group of lobster-costumed men outside the World Darts Championship.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting reference 6879/13DEC. The incident took place on day three of the 2026 World Darts Championship, which ran from December 2025 to January 2026. That day saw two-time champion Gary Anderson beat Adam Hunt 3-2 after a tense first round. Darts fans have become known for attending professional games in fancy dress – a tradition thought to have begun as a fun way for groups to get noticed by television cameras. Later in the tournament, Luke Littler won the World Championship for the second year in a row, defeating Gian van Veen 7-1 in the final on January 3.