The festivals respond to the expert group’s new recommendations
The government’s expert group has just come up with their recommendations for this summer’s festivals. A political decision is still awaited, but if the recommendations are followed, it does not look good for the early festivals. Dansk Live emphasizes this together with seven of Denmark’s festivals in a joint announcement. Read the announcement below.
It is not realistic to carry through festivals until late summer.
As festival organizers, we strongly appeal to the government to work quickly with the processing of the recommendations that the expert group for large events has just submitted. To us it seems like there will continue to be restrictions regarding most of the summer, which means that we cannot hold our festivals in 2021 – and we need a clear statement now.
We have tried to remain optimistic, because the best thing for everyone would be if festivals could be held this summer. And we had all believed and hoped that we would get an answer when the government announced the plan for the reopening of Denmark on 22 March. Instead, we got an expert group who have now spent precious time figuring out recommendations for the reopening of major events.
We fully acknowledge the great work that the expert group has put in, and fully support the recommendations for reopening sports and cultural and life, which the recommendations pave the way for in the recently published report. But the work is set in motion too late, to us it seems like that there will continue to be restrictions for most of the summer, which makes it unrealistic to hold festivals of our sizes and with the community that characterizes them.
Therefore, we now strongly appeal that the government’s negotiations with the party leaders do not drag on, so that we can get a final answer.
This is not the first time we have asked for clarification. From Dansk Live, we had clearly announced that March was the deadline for us. We have compromised several times, and we have worked faithfully in the process that the government has set and which for the most part follows a trail that we – for a long time – have demanded: the need to put together different disciplines as in the expert group.
We cannot wait any longer. The earliest festivals take place in May! We owe a final clarification to everyone who are involved in our events – from artists to food and fencing suppliers to the thousands of volunteers and the public.
We have all waited long enough.
Even without our festivals in 2021, we can and would like to play a role in rebuilding the community. We can and would like to plan other events that can be done within the framework that the expert group has recommended as sound health-wise. But it requires that we all know where we stand and the framework for our planning. We hope this will be clarified soon. We know it can be done when something is important enough.
And finally, we all hope with all our festival heart that the big festivals that are later in the season will have the opportunity to take place, and as a united industry we support that this will happen.
Jelling Musikfestival, Heartland, NorthSide, Copenhell, Tinderbox, Roskilde Festival, Nibe Festival and Dansk Live
Photo: Morten Rygaard