City venues are preparing to host crowds of eager football fans tonight for England's World Cup opener against Croatia.
The Murderers is among dozens of pubs and bars in Norwich expecting a dramatic increase in customers for the match at 9pm.
Phil Cutter, the landlord of the site in Timberhill, has upgraded the site's TV and sound system and is advising customers to arrive hours in advance to get the best seats in the house.
He said: "This is my 20th major football tournament working at the Murderers.
"I would say we have it nailed down to a fine art.
"We aren't taking bookings, encouraging people to come in early and get the best spots.
"I reckon we will have a full house of 250 people.
"For a typical Wednesday, we will hopefully see a massive rise in takings."
BOX22, the city's newest sports bar in Prince of Wales Road, is fully booked for all three of England's first round of group games.
"We are expecting anything up to 1,000 people," a spokesman for the site said.
"On June 27, the first of England's matches on a Saturday, we will be hosting a party with DJs."
Paul Murfitt, the landlord of the Rose Tavern, which reopened its doors to customers in the Golden Triangle area last Friday, has been busy promoting the game on the site's social media.
"There has been a huge interest and we are expecting a couple of hundred people to come to the pub," he said.
"Fans will be arriving from about 6pm onwards and we are showing the game on two screens, either side of the pub."
A survey, carried out by Veezu, the UK’s largest and fastest-growing taxi business, estimates up to 25,000 people could head to fan zones in Norwich this evening.
A Norfolk Police spokeswoman said: "Extra police officers will be patrolling the city from early evening through to the early hours.
"We’re working closely with local licenced venues throughout the tournament."
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