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

[William of Walworth]

Boomtown (Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th August) has so far had no update since March 26th, either on their main site or on their Facebook page

Beautiful Days (following weekend -- Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd August) cancelled last week, and it's a lot smaller.

Weird how different festivals announce they're gone at wildly different times ....... after all, it's pretty well known that the like;lihood of fests happening in August is pretty damned low by now, so you might as well announce, Event Organisers!

 

[Badgers]

No more delays: Postponed Tokyo Olympics to be CANCELLED if coronavirus not under control by 2021, organizing committee head says

www.rt.com

 

[Teaboy]

Boomtown (Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th August) has so far had no update since March 26th, either on their main site or on their Facebook page

Beautiful Days (following weekend -- Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd August) cancelled last week, and it's a lot smaller.

Weird how different festivals announce they're gone at wildly different times ....... after all, it's pretty well known that the like;lihood of fests happening in August is pretty damned low by now, so you might as well announce, Event Organisers!

Just looking at some of the other festivals. Beatherder is in mid-July and has still not cancelled, last update on the website is from mid-march. Must be heartbreaking (and financially a disaster) for the people who run these things to make these calls but you do wonder why they can't see the obvious.

 

[mx wcfc]

Wickham Festival (6-10 August) haven't cancelled yet either. I can't see any gatherings over 500 people being allowed in August, but I agree with their approach - there is no sense in cancelling until you have to.

 

[Teaboy]

Wickham Festival (6-10 August) haven't cancelled yet either. I can't see any gatherings over 500 people being allowed in August, but I agree with their approach - there is no sense in cancelling until you have to.

I guess but there are lots of arrangements people have to make outside of simply turning up for a few days. It would also be a major change in government policy to actually let us know what their plans are for releasing the lockdown so the likelihood is we won't know what is happening until a few days before it happens.

 

[belboid]

Tramlines is still selling tickets for the beginning of August. I suppose they’re trying to let people get used to the idea of rolling your ticket over till next years do before they actually tell us that’s what they’re doing.

 

[mx wcfc]

I guess but there are lots of arrangements people have to make outside of simply turning up for a few days. It would also be a major change in government policy to actually let us know what their plans are for releasing the lockdown so the likelihood is we won't know what is happening until a few days before it happens.

I suspect that those August festivals that haven't cancelled yet will start cancelling from June. I agree that there is a hell of a lot of logistics involved, but many festival backstage people/vendors/bands etc won't have much else to do at the moment. Getting a couple of biggish festies on in August would help a lot of festival crew, I would think

(all this subject to the covid situation, obv)

 

[Badgers]

Wickham Festival (6-10 August) haven't cancelled yet either. I can't see any gatherings over 500 people being allowed in August, but I agree with their approach - there is no sense in cancelling until you have to.

Zero chance it will happen.

Better to cancel now otherwise they are just stringing ticket holders, suppliers, artists and all other parties along.

The only thing I can imagine is they are haggling with the venue for new dates so they can announce as a 'postponement' till 2021. They might also be trying to claw some or transferring money back from venue/suppliers.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Had confirmation this morning that my venue is officially closed until at least 1st September. Our capacity is merely 450. That should put into perspective a bit any ideas of large gatherings happening anywhere before then. We at least have the advantage of being a teaching facility as well as an arts venue, so it's likely that our initial return to work will be built around classes - these are a lot easier to restrict and control numbers, plus we don't have the financial pressure of having to make them pay in the traditional sense. The conference side of the business is all going online/virtual for the foreseeable future.

Traditional theatres and medium (think academy) sized venues are fucked right now. There's talk of reopening with limited capacity audiences, but that fundamentally breaks the business model - put simply, if a venue isn't full for most shows then they aren't making money.

Even if you ignore the financial impact, there's a huge range of practical issues to deal with based around distancing. Let's say you open a theatre and only sell tickets for every other row and leave a 2 seat gap between individual groups. Fine, you're in line with the guidelines. But how do you get them in and out? How do you control the interval and queues for the toilets? What happens if the fire alarm goes off? The best plan I've been able to come up with for my venue would see us having to start queuing and loading the venue with people well over another hour before we usually do, and you'd have to allow at least twice the time for any intervals. Plus then a staggered release of people at the end. Are people really going to want to come out 2 hours before a show starts to stand in a queue, and then be told they might have to hang around for an hour afterwards?

That all assumes a seated venue. How would it work for a standing show? Marked boxes on the floor? People not being able to crowd down the front? There goes the atmosphere, would people really want to bother?

This is going to take months - even years - to come back from. A lot of companies, theatres and venues are not going to survive. It's utterly horrible.

 

[kalidarkone]

I honestly don't see how they can square with club nights running this year. I'd love it to happen safely, but the realist in me says it surely can't? How can they justify 500 people in a tiny pace, utterly twatted, and with dodgy soap free toilets?

I saw they opened some in Korea so that will be a test.

Yes I feel the same, would love to party and rave more then anything and need a hug rather badly too. I would not be able to socially distance easily under these circumstances.
All my up coming events have been postponed to July and November but I dont think any of them will be happening.

 

[phillm]

Wickham Festival (6-10 August) haven't cancelled yet either. I can't see any gatherings over 500 people being allowed in August, but I agree with their approach - there is no sense in cancelling until you have to.

The demographic of Wickham would turn it into a Corona cauldron but on the upside it might get rid of Leo Sayer ....

 

[Mation]

Pretty much everything about festivals seems like there will be major obstacles to overcome before they can happen again.

Even if you imagine full PPE for all staff, volunteers and vendors; facemasks for all punters and artists (when backstage); hand sanitiser available freely for all, what do you do about the toilets (and toilet seats)?

What solutions are possible and realistic (not just for the toilets)?

 

[phillm]

Pretty much everything about festivals seems like there will be major obstacles to overcome before they can happen again.

Even if you imagine full PPE for all staff, volunteers and vendors; facemasks for all punters and artists (when backstage); hand sanitiser available freely for all, what do you do about the toilets (and toilet seats)?

What solutions are possible and realistic (not just for the toilets)?

Off the top of my head

No over 50s (risk management and liability) or folk with existing risk factors (sorry and that includes me !)​

​

No indoor tent venues. Temp checks and questionnaires on entry to festival and arenas.​

​

Hazmat toilet staff with disinfectant sprays between each customer. Open-air long drops, not boxes​

​

Take your own food and drink and cups with surcharge.​

​

Main stages with large areas to socially distance around. Smaller outdoor stages if they can do the same.​

​

DIY masks compulsory.​

​

One way systems on walkways.​

​

No flags. (might as well sneak that one in whilst we can) ​

Most though would be pretty unviable with those restrictions. Festivals sadly lie at the extreme end of what is epidemiologically acceptable whilst the virus is still at large and can cause serious health issues.

 

[Looby]

Off the top of my head

No over 50s (risk management and liability) or folk with existing risk factors (sorry and that includes me !)​

​

No indoor tent venues. Temp checks and questionnaires on entry to festival and arenas.​

​

Hazmat toilet staff with disinfectant sprays between each customer. Open-air long drops, not boxes​

​

Take your own food and drink and cups with surcharge.​

​

Main stages with large areas to socially distance around. Smaller outdoor stages if they can do the same.​

​

DIY masks compulsory.​

​

One way systems on walkways.​

Most though would be pretty unviable with those restrictions. Festivals sadly lie at the extreme end of what is epidemiologically acceptable whilst the virus is still at large and can cause serious health issues.

Even if that was all possible and wouldn’t completely ruin the event, no festival could justify the drain on the huge amount of resources needed to run a festival.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Even if that was all possible and wouldn’t completely ruin the event, no festival could justify the drain on the huge amount of resources needed to run a festival.

Yep. And even if you could find someone to back it financially to get all the required measures into place, think about what the event would be like. It would be utterly awful and quite pointless.

I can't even begin to think how you'd organise all the backstage tech, it just... wouldn't work.

 

[spitfire]

Yep. And even if you could find someone to back it financially to get all the required measures into place, think about what the event would be like. It would be utterly awful and quite pointless.

I can't even begin to think how you'd organise all the backstage tech, it just... wouldn't work.

Imagine the turn around time of the backline guys setting the kit up between bands on a festy stage.

Your turn...your turn...your turn....

1 hour later...

 

[phillm]

Even if that was all possible and wouldn’t completely ruin the event, no festival could justify the drain on the huge amount of resources needed to run a festival.

Exactly - they are pretty much history until we have a vaccine or effective reliable drug combos. Hurry up, scientists.

 

[phillm]

Imagine the turn around time of the backline guys setting the kit up between bands on a festy stage.

Your turn...your turn...your turn....

1 hour later...

Sound check majoring on 1,1,1,

1. Stay at home
2. Save lives
3. Protect the NHS

Plus they would be a load of tokers with COVID-cough by proxy to scare you as you relaxed in the (hopeful) sun.

 

[mx wcfc]

Boomtown (Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th August) has so far had no update since March 26th, either on their main site or on their Facebook page

Beautiful Days (following weekend -- Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd August) cancelled last week, and it's a lot smaller.

Weird how different festivals announce they're gone at wildly different times ....... after all, it's pretty well known that the like;lihood of fests happening in August is pretty damned low by now, so you might as well announce, Event Organisers!

No change on the Boomtown website, but Killdren just posted this on FB.

 

[belboid]

I just got an email promoting the Oh Sees in Glasgow - in May! Everywhere else its November, but not Glasgae

 

[souljacker]

​

No flags. (might as well sneak that one in whilst we can) ​

 

[kalidarkone]

I just got an email promoting the Oh Sees in Glasgow - in May! Everywhere else its November, but not Glasgae

I was due to see thee oh sees in May in Bristol but has been moved to November-I dont think it will happen then.

 

[ash]

Toots at Brixton Academy moved to May 2021. My daughter was going to see my chemical romance at MK and that been moved to June 2021. I think both are overly optimistic

 

[William of Walworth]

Toots at Brixton Academy moved to May 2021. My daughter was going to see my chemical romance at MK and that been moved to June 2021. I think both are overly optimistic

A while back I posted that the Cardiff date for the no-longer-current Nick Cave tour had been moved from this coming Sunday (3rd May) to April 2021, like all his other dates. (We had tickets ).

I'm half-way (maybe no more than that ) confident that an April 2021 gig such as Nick Cave will go ahead.
Some bands are even putting their gigs back to this November (etc.) ....

 

[William of Walworth]

Boomtown (Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th August) has so far had no update since March 26th, either on their main site or on their Facebook page

No change on the Boomtown website, but Killdren just posted this on FB.

Freak Boutique crew are largely the Convoy Cabaret lot at Bearded.
That guy called Badgers (not the Urban one ) is well sound, I know him, he often shows up at Gail's events.
They'll know how to run a mini-festival, whenever they're able to have it!

But yes, that very much looks like they know already that Boomtown itself has gone

 

[mr steev]

Freak Boutique crew are largely the Convoy Cabaret lot at Bearded.
That guy called Badgers (not the Urban one ) is well sound, I know him, he often shows up at Gail's events.
They'll know how to run a mini-festival, whenever they're able to have it!

But yes, that very much looks like they know already that Boomtown itself has gone

Boomtown just anounced they are postponing until 2021

 

[editor]

Boomtown just anounced they are postponing until 2021

No surprise really. I don;t think any major festivals are going to happen this year. Or any sized festival.

No Boomtown Fair for 2020 ​

In light of the current situation with the global COVID-19 pandemic, Boomtown Fair has announced that it will no longer be proceeding with the 2020 event. The next instalment of the unique, creative festival will now take place on 11th-15th August 2021.

Boomtown was due to return to the Matterley Estate, nr Winchester over 12th -16th August 2020 for it’s twelfth instalment, but much like many other events across the country the event organisers have come to the difficult decision to no longer continue. In their statement released on Thursday 30th April 2020, the event states:

“Over the past few months we have been keeping a close eye on expert advice from within the UK and across the globe, as well as taking into consideration the timelines involved for safely planning and delivering the event. In addition, we’ve recently been in close consultation with our local partner agencies, and emergency services, to further understand the knock on effect of the current pressures on these vital services. This has led us to the decision that Boomtown 2020 can no longer go ahead.”

The festival has confirmed that all customers 2020 tickets will remain valid for the 2021 event and will automatically roll over. The event is asking their customers who are in a position to do so, to keep their ticket for next year, or to hold off on requesting a refund for as long as is possible to help safeguard the future of the festival.

As is the case with many of the UK independent festivals, the financial and long lasting impact of COVID-19 will have on the festival industry and creative communities as a whole could be incredibly devastating. Without the support of those who love and cherish the events, the UK festival calendar could look very different next year. All ticketing and refund information can be found in the full statement here.

Speaking on behalf of nearly 50 friends and colleagues working all year round, we are truly heartbroken to make this announcement, but with such a complex production and many, many thousands of staff to mobilise, we are certain this is the right thing to do. With the new circus shows, areas and creative concepts planned, this year was building up to be the best edition yet, but like many others across the world, we have to now wind down in preparation for a fallow year. We will however be using this gifted time to fully reflect, learn and reimagine our vision to guarantee the next chapter of Boomtown will be more breathtaking than ever before. Stay safe - all the love. Lak Mitchell - Boomtown Co-Founder

Boomtown has always been, and continues to remain, a truly independent festival that has grown from just 1,000 capacity in 2009 to 66,000 from 2016. It is known for celebrating and fostering grassroot talent, showcasing music and creative performances on a gargantuan scale and has become recognised for challenging and breaking the boundaries of creativity within the UK festival scene. Its unique festival experience will continue to move forward, adapt and develop as the event evolves for all that 2021 holds.

For all current information relating to COVID-19 and to keep up to date with all the Boomtown news follow the festival’s social media channels Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube, official website, and sign up to our mailing list here.

 

[Teaboy]

At this stage and the way things are going I'd be happy with just a few beers with a few mates in someone's garden at some point this summer.

 

[William of Walworth]

Freak Boutique crew are largely the Convoy Cabaret lot at Bearded.
That guy called Badgers (not the Urban one ) is well sound, I know him, he often shows up at Gail's events.
They'll know how to run a mini-festival, whenever they're able to have it!

But yes, that very much looks like they know already that Boomtown itself has gone

Boomtown just anounced they are postponing until 2021

I'm not at all surprised, but that's a very new announcement (as in this morning).
Inevitable I suppose

I had no realistic plan to go anyway, but at one point ages ago I wondered whether to go to Boomtown as a Glastonbury-substitute .... good job I didn't build my hopes up on that one!
A couple of my friends who properly planned to go, and went for tickets way back, had already given up on it well before today.

 

[2hats]

No surprise really. I don;t think any major festivals are going to happen this year. Or any sized festival.

The latest modelling of lockdown relaxation options suggests the contribution to the reproduction number from festivals and other such public events is at least +0.6. There might be additional contribution from secondary/tertiary effects.

That takes us over the critical value of R=1.0 given that the current effective reproduction number, Re, is around 0.6-0.7. You would have to get Re down to 0.2 or lower to safely countenance such activities.

It is hard to see any such events being permitted (if one "follows the science") until the virus is pretty much eliminated or herd immunity achieved (through vaccination).

So you would be unlikely to see public events this year and quite possibly not next year either.