Over 110,000 people were asked if they would be comfortable returning to live events soon after lockdown
A new report suggests that the majority of people would feel comfortable attending a music event soon after coronavirus restrictions were lifted.
The report, which has been published by Festicket, suggests that 82% of festivalgoers would feel comfortable returning to live music events within one to six months of lockdown being lifted. The report is based on a survey of over 110,000 participants from the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, but where does that leave us in South Africa?
66% of respondents said they would be happy to return to live events between one and three months of lockdown being lifted, while 30% said they would be happy to attend a live event pretty much immediately.
Respondents said they would be happiest returning to one-day festivals post-lockdown, but just under 70% said they would be happy to attend a weekender.
Surprisingly, a large portion respondents believe that festivals in 2021 will be largely unaffected by pandemic, with 59.5% saying they would feel confident in booking tickets for a festival next year within the next few months. That being said, the possibility of cancellation remains a considerable concern, and over 82% of respondents said they would want the option of free cancellation when purchasing tickets for a festival. Most respondents also stated that they expect new measures to be implemented in festivals in future, including advanced health and safety measures and reduced capacity.
In response to the survey’s results, Festicket’s Marketing Director Luis Sousa said: “Unsurprisingly, we are of course entering the beginning of a ‘new normal’ for events where festival-goers – in the short term at least – will expect promoters and venues to adapt their offering to ease anxieties. We’ve already seen this in some venues that have begun opening their doors again, with measures such as reduced capacity and compulsory table service being part of the deal of reopening.”
The festival industry has been thrown into a state of crisis by the COVID-19 pandemic, with some reports suggesting that it will face collapse without appropriate government aid. It’s led to surprising developments, however, with several festivals moving into the world of live-streaming for instance, or even the virtual world. Next month, a 24-hour music and art event is set to take place at Amsterdam’s A’DAM Toren and across individual bedrooms of the Sir Adam Hotel, with strict social distancing measures in place.
