Coronavirus: music festivals, big gigs, sports events and big gatherings - going ahead and cancelled

[Mation]

'We are meant to gather': organisers of global dance festival refuse to cancel – or give refunds

Ticket holders are angry that organisers insist the Global Eclipse festival will go ahead in Argentina, despite the government there banning international tourists

www.theguardian.com

I'm torn on that one. They're offering 50% refunds, based on having already paid crew. But it's difficult to see how they mean to go ahead safely if they're not telling anyone how!

 

[frogwoman]

Especially because Argentina is getting 3-400 deaths a day at the moment and has banned tourists.

 

[Mation]

Especially because Argentina is getting 3-400 deaths a day at the moment and has banned tourists.

Just had a look at the website and there is not one word on it about covid, that I could see

 

[Orang Utan]

Leeds International Film Festival is still going ahead

 

[Badgers]

Leeds International Film Festival is still going ahead

FFS

 

[Orang Utan]

FFS

Well I’m going!

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Well I’m going!

What sort of scale is it? Venues/attendees etc?

 

[Orang Utan]

What sort of scale is it? Venues/attendees etc?

Socially distanced in largish cinemas. Quite a lot of stuff is being shown online too. Only one venue concerns me as it's very small

 

[Orang Utan]

Socially distanced in largish cinemas. Quite a lot of stuff is being shown online too. Only one venue concerns me as it's very small

(I should add that the main venue is the Town Hall, which is massive, but still hard to get tickets for if you’re on your own)

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

170,000 UK live music jobs lost by end of 2020 | IQ Magazine

Over 26,000 full-time and 144,000 FTE jobs will cease to exist before year's end without government help, new research by Live shows.

www.iq-mag.net

 

[editor]

Met Police get rightly slapped down Covid rules in London: Met ditches 'despotic' demand for venues to check ID

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

The Clapham Grand is open and doing gigs right now, Russell Howard tonight, some bands next week...

Guess with vastly reduced crowds and so on.

edit, yeah;

 

[editor]

I went to a gig last night - 60 people max crowd and an actual band playing. It felt good.

 

[Mation]

I went to a gig last night - 60 people max crowd and an actual band playing. It felt good.

Seated? Standing? Drinks? Groups? How did it work?

 

[editor]

Seated? Standing? Drinks? Groups? How did it work?

It was half in a railway arch so you could sit outside or inside and all drinks were by waiter service, with no standing.

So in theory so long as you kept outside you could mix in groups of up to 6 people, but if you went inside you could only sit with someone from your household. It was odd.

 

[Mation]

It was half in a railway arch so you could sit outside or inside and all drinks were by waiter service, with no standing.

So in theory so long as you kept outside you could mix in groups of up to 6 people, but if you went inside you could only sit with someone from your household. It was odd.

Sounds like it was workable though, which is encouraging.

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

The Clapham Grand is open and doing gigs right now, Russell Howard tonight, some bands next week...

Guess with vastly reduced crowds and so on.

edit, yeah;

View attachment 235822

Pretty sure they ran a pilot gig a few month back for the governement and the outcome was that following the rules it didn't cover their overheads.
I guess with enough financial support than it can break even.

 

[editor]

Here's some pics from Saturday's gig:

In photos: live bands at the Neutral Zone event at Amp Studios, SE15, Sat 24th Oct 2020

On Saturday night, we were delighted to watch a proper live gig at the excellent Amp Studios on the Old Kent Road, with Misty Miller and Dan Cross & The Paingivers playing on the bill.

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[William of Walworth]

Intriguing new stuff today in Somerset News from a man called Ben Challis, described as 'general counsel' for Glastonbury Festival.

Ben Challis, general counsel for Glastonbury Festival, has revealed the current complex situation for the world-famous music event, including booking acts, touring schedules, virus testing measures and providing refunds.

Speaking on the latest Behind The Noise podcast, he said: "At Glastonbury Festival, we are still looking at June 2021.

... and then he goes into more detail about the complications. Amongst other stuff mainly relating to band-booking (and rebooking!) logistics, he also says this :

"We as a festival do look at the vaccine as the solution," he said.
"However, Melvin Benn, who runs Festival Republic, looked at this idea of minimising risk by having pre-show tests of your audience.
"You would have to have a negative result pre-show, and then have a temperature check on the gate.
"So you say everybody has to be tested at home, or on the way down you get tested, it would be a huge logistical thing but its possible, so 99.99 per cent of people there would be covid-free.
"Is it any less safe than anything else we do in life?"

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

If I had to bet right now I'd say Glastonbury (or any other major festival) won't happen next year. I hope I'm wrong but we're approaching the cutoff for getting a lot of things into place.

 

[William of Walworth]

Also , from last week, (22nd October), Somerset News has Michael Eavis discussing (at the Wells Festival of Literature) a bunch of stuff about testing festival attenders.

He adds caveats at the end of the above about how GF might well still not happen -- he's all along been more pessimistic than Emily about next year's prospects ....

 

[William of Walworth]

If I had to bet right now I'd say Glastonbury (or any other major festival) won't happen next year. I hope I'm wrong but we're approaching the cutoff for getting a lot of things into place.

I tend to agree really ( ), but both the above stories are recent.

Both Mr Challis and Mr Eavis are adding various cautious phrases, correctly so.

But they also want to do the best they can. They're not going to annouce a full cancellation unti they have to, and what it really seems that they're doing is vaccine focussed, or testing focussed, or both.

I'm on a several-pint bet with a (John Peel Stage crewing) mate here in Swansea, about both vaccines AND Glastonbury in 2021, he wants me to win , and I think he will win

But nothing's ruled out yet -- that's why I'm keeping a big eye on it in all still.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

The timescale for a vaccine saving the 2021 festival simply doesn't work.

 

[William of Walworth]

The timescale for a vaccine saving the 2021 festival simply doesn't work.

You could very well be right, and I fear that myself .

But there've been hugely varying predictions, including in science and medical journals, about how soon a safe vaccine might be approved.

The real issue is the logistics and timing of distribution/availability of any vaccines.

But the desparation of Governments to be able to distribute vaccinations, and all the money that's gone into research and programmes, could (IMO) leave the door still a bit open to surprising us next year, Possibly.

Anyway, both Mr Challis and Mr Eavis were talking as well about testing, not just vaccines .......

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

The real issue is the logistics and timing of distribution/availability of any vaccines.

It’s more a case of priority. Getting people into a field to listen to some music is - rightly - going to be way down the list when it comes to dishing out a vaccine. Which doesn’t even exist yet.

 

[eightball]

170,000 UK live music jobs lost by end of 2020 | IQ Magazine

Over 26,000 full-time and 144,000 FTE jobs will cease to exist before year's end without government help, new research by Live shows.

www.iq-mag.net

Bees, I'm trying to find a group/organisation who are helping people in your industry which I can make regular donations to. I've just heard about stagehand.org.uk, do you know if they're good or if not who else?

 

[William of Walworth]

It’s more a case of priority. Getting people into a field to listen to some music is - rightly - going to be way down the list when it comes to dishing out a vaccine. Which doesn’t even exist yet.

At no point whatsoever have I argued that festival-goers should be prioritised (over others) for any vaccine!

Some of my stuff above relates to other thoughts I had about vaccine-prospects more generally -- but that's probably better off in a different thread anyway, tbf

I mainly brought vaccine stuff up here because Glastonbury people --Challis and Eavis -- raised the thing, and I thought the story might be of interest.

 

[Badgers]

At no point whatsoever have I argued that festival-goers should be prioritised (over others) for any vaccine!

Some of my stuff above relates to other thoughts I had about vaccine-prospects more generally -- but that's probably better off in a different thread anyway, tbf

I mainly brought vaccine stuff up here because Glastonbury people --Challis and Eavis -- raised the thing, and I thought the story might be of interest.

Hate to be a pessimist (again) here guys. Am in discussions with venues who are already looking to postpone/cancel high footfall events in June 2021.

These include some events that have government 'support for international trade' reasons/backing.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Bees, I'm trying to find a group/organisation who are helping people in your industry which I can make regular donations to. I've just heard about stagehand.org.uk, do you know if they're good or if not who else?

Stagehand is good

PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund

Raise money, support your friends, give to a cause. Show you care.

www.justgiving.com

 

[eightball]

Stagehand is good

PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund

Raise money, support your friends, give to a cause. Show you care.

www.justgiving.com

Thanks, I'll get on it and spread the word.