How could Leeds Festival and other big gigs be different in 2021? Rapid testing and vaccine passports explained

This week Leeds Festival has announced it will go ahead, along with other big music events including Made In Leeds.

But how could Leeds Festival and other big events look different in 2021, with the threat of Covid still very real?

A report from UK Music outlined some of the recommendations for music festivals in 2021.

Testing

Engaging with rapid testing to eventually bring back full capacity crowds, the report says.

This requires proof of concept, conducting testing pilots with social distancing, then gradually building up to full capacity.

In December 2020, Primavera in Barcelona conducted a pilot festival. In it, 1,000 people were invited to attend with no masks or social distancing.

Before being allowed to enter, every person had to undertake a rapid test with a 15-minute result. Only those testing negative were allowed entry.

The organisers said that there were no new cases as a result of the pilot festival.

Organiser of Newsam Park and Mint Festivals in Leeds, Stuart Forsyth, told Mixmag that rapid testing could be used at its sites.

“If they are needed, we have rapid tests in place for both Newsam Park and Mint Festival, however things have changed a lot since we announced this in December, we have to wait and see, things are changing every week, its out of our hands,” he said.

A festival or venue could in the long-term allow restrictions to be relaxed inside venues and festivals, as well as support the Government’s overarching Covid-19 strategy by forcing asymptomatic carriers to take a test, alerting them to the fact they have tested positive and allowing them to self-isolate.

Swallow Events claims to be the first company to offer a full rapid testing screening service facility to detect COVID-19 to event organisers throughout the UK and the rest of the world, and the firm is planning on running a festival in Albania using its system.

Ventilation and pathogen reduction systems

There are several ventilation systems on the market that reduce the risk of transmission by improving airflows.

However, the report found that unless they are recognised or validated by the Government then there is no incentive for industry to invest in them.

Introduction of a Government-backed reinsurance scheme

The live music sector has drafted a proposal for a reinsurance scheme which would cover events from any re-opening dates in 2021 to December 2022.

The promoter or venue would pay into a Covid-19 fund, to be matched by the Government, in addition to an additional premium paid by the insurance industry.

This Covid-19 fund would sit separate to the usual cancellation claims and would pay out in the event of a Covid-19 enforced cancellation.

Vaccine passports