I’m all for getting the industry back on track again – but is a mass summer festival the way to do it?
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After the news that both Reading and Leeds festivals are set to continue this year in August – which was undoubtedly followed by pretty much all festival days being sold out – it’s made me think, are we ready to return to our festivals or are we planning them too soon?
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Now, I know that August surpasses the date of June where all legal rulings against social distancing are scrapped, but it is especially important to not get ahead of ourselves at this time, especially when we all want to get back to normality and enjoy ourselves in the sun. I think that this drastic course of action is an aspect of greed as well as opportunity missed in the past from last year, and it has undoubtedly given hope for the people attending.
I would have certainly thought that all festival organisers, planners and the ‘committee’ themselves, would follow the same steps as their Glastonbury counterparts – both festivals are merely a month apart, after all. But I guess money talks.
Now, don’t get me wrong – part of me wants to ignore the warnings, sit back and let everyone enjoy the fun – because, by God, do we deserve it. But there is another part that is telling me otherwise – another strain and active cases still in the summer? We’re back where we started.
After all, it’s one thing to see a small live gig setting at your local pub for instance, but its another thing to pack thousands of avid music fans into fields rife with music. Rest assured, those attending will hold nothing back to receive their much-missed antidote of attending music festivals during the Summer.
Personally, there is nothing I’d want more than for us to watch live music again – and not just on our screens, either.
The question is – is now the best time to drop our guard and relax because of the vaccination or is it time to be as attentive as ever?
