With COVID vaccines being opened up to the general public on April 15th, it seems that the economy will also be opening back up. Restaurants will be allowed indoor seating (with reduced capacity), bars will be reopening, and festivals and concerts will be allowed. California officials just confirmed that festivals, concerts, sporting events, and theatre performances will be allowed with certain reduced capacities based on the city’s COVID tier level – purple, red, orange, or yellow – but only with proof of vaccination or a vaccine passport which seems to be in the making. California is one of the biggest hot spots for concerts and festivals since the electronic music event promoter Insomniac has its headquarter based in Los Angeles. Pasquale Rotella, Insomniac’s founder, has already confirmed 7 festivals and 8 concerts in California.
-
Keep wearing a mask! – If you did your research, the vaccine is not 100% immunization, meaning that there is still a chance you can get COVID. Even with the vaccine, you can still be a carrier and the virus can spread from you to others. Wearing a mask is the extra precaution needed in order to make sure that COVID cases don’t increase after every gathering and put us back into a lockdown quarantine.
Photo by Joslyn Pickens from Pexels -
Save money, but especially save money for water! – Despite getting water from water stations at festivals, please make sure to take an extra $15-30 to purchase water bottles. Not only are the water stations always packed, increasing COVID risks, but the long lines take away from the experience when you spend thirty minutes waiting to refill your hydropack.
-
Be kind and patient! – For veteran festival-goers, PLUR (peace, love, unity, respect) is the motto to live by. However, after a year of being in confinement, festivals and concerts will no doubt be overrun by people who have either never been to festivals or don’t know and respect the culture. People will be impatient and rude because they don’t care about anything other than finally being able to go out and, unfortunately, doing drugs since festivals have the negative connotation of basically being “drug territory.”
-
Stay safe! – Going off the last tip, I can only assume that people will either be on drugs or drunk. Make sure that if you or anyone you know takes part in those activities, and I am NOT condoning it, please please PLEASE test whatever you’re taking and keep track of your drinks. The last thing we need is for festivals to open up and we either go back into quarantine or drug-related deaths occur. Festivals are so much fun sober because you don’t have to worry about bad things happening and you also get to remember the whole experience with wide eyes.
Photo by Mufid Majnun from Unsplash -
Get a COVID test after each festival! – Think about festivals and big outings like that as sex, if you’re planning on going to one, get tested afterward – to make sure you didn’t get COVID – the same way you’d get an STD checked before/ after a new partner. Not only is it best to find out if you got COVID as soon as possible, but you should also be making sure you don’t have it and can’t give it to other people at the next festival.
-
Be aware of your surroundings! – Before COVID, festivals were a known home for theft rings who stole phones and wallets while festival-goers were not aware of their persons. Find ways to make sure your valuables are secure because if anything can ruin such an experience, having your phone or wallet stolen, will be it! Theft rings not only are frighteningly common at festivals, but they’re usually so good that you don’t even realize it’s happening to you until hours later.
Photo by Vishnu R Nair from Unsplash
Sadly, I am not planning on going to any festivals any time soon, due to my own preference and I won’t judge those that will. However, festivals have a special place in my heart because they’re where I’ve created special bonds with friends and met so many amazing people. I would have to see anything bad happen at festivals or have them be shut down again, so stay safe, be aware of your surroundings, and have some fun for me!