COVID-19 doesn’t look like it will be going away anytime soon but what does this mean for music festivals and concerts in 2021.
A lot of concerts due to take place last year were postponed until 2021 as it was initially thought the pandemic would have been under control by autumn last year.
However, with the vaccine only in the early stages of being rolled out across the country, it is unlikely that any concerts or festivals will take place in 2021.
Concerts by artists such Harry Styles due to take place in the 3Arena Dublin on the 19th March and band 5 Seconds of Summer on the 14th April are yet to be cancelled by organisers.
Some artists like Stormzy who was due to perform at the 3Arena in April have postponed their concerts to a later date that is yet to be announced.
Hundreds of concert tickets are still available to be purchased on Ticketmaster although it seems almost impossible that the events will be allowed to take place under COVID-19 restrictions.
Eva Brady who purchased tickets to both Life and Sea Sessions festivals said “I think anyone with a ticket for a festival or concert this year should be refunded soon. There’s no point in waiting to cancel an event that’s definitely not going to go ahead.”
Event organisers seem to be holding off on cancelling events until nearer their dates leaving ticket holders unsure of what to do.
Ticketmaster said “For future events that are still scheduled, you’re all set. There’s nothing you need to do. If anything changes, we will contact you with updates.”
Many ticket holders feel frustrated that organisers are ‘pretending’ that these events will still take place.
Kaja Natanek who purchased a ticket to Longitude said “Honestly I don’t think Longitude will go ahead. Thousands of people packed together for 3 days surely won’t be allowed. People can’t even have a funeral with all relatives attending, never mind a festival or concert.”
She said, “At this stage, I’m so used to things being cancelled that I don’t really care, I just hope they give me a refund instead of a postponed ticket.”
Others found their experience with organisers to be positive as they were kept in the loop.
“I felt they did a good job telling me what was happening with the event and they gave an essay way to apply for a refund.” Said Michael Clancy who had purchased a ticket to District 8 Amsterdam, a festival due to take place in Amsterdam in March.
The Pollen event that was originally supposed to take place from the 19th to the 22nd March was pushed back to the 3rd to the 6th December due to COVIS-19 restrictions. Ticket holders were offered a full refund if they wanted to give up their place on the trip.
“We were told a month in advance that the trip was pushed back. I never expected for it to go ahead but I was worried about whether or not I would get a refund. I just hope others have a positive experience like me and get their money back,” said Clancy.
Michelle Cullen
Image credit: Electric Picnic