Netherlands based festivals have started announcing plans for their 2021 editions following the Dutch government’s announcement of hopefully allowing festivals from July 1, and will provide insurance for events planned for after this date which get canceled due to COVID-19.
In January a cancelation fund of 3000 Million euros was announced by the Dutch government, and this has allowed event organisers to plan for the second half of the 2021 year, as its provided financial security if the pandemic stops events going ahead for a second consecutive year.
Starting on July 1st, The fund covers events that will attract a minimum of 3,000 visitors and comes alongside a statement from the Dutch culture minister Ingrid van Engelshoven stating that it’s not “reasonable” to expect “masses can stand close together on a field” before that time.
She also added that the fund: “is a dot on the horizon for festival organizers. They can fall back on the guarantee fund in which at least €300m has been reserved. The event industry has long come to a standstill due to Corona. The guarantee is needed to get it back on track.”
Dutch festivals such as Awakenings and DGTL that usually take place in the spring or early summer, have revealed they are rescheduling to after July 1st so they can receive covered by this cancellation fund.
Awakenings Festival gave a statement on its website saying “The COVID-19 pandemic is still not over, but things are starting to look a bit brighter, so we now aim for the second weekend of September.”
This news gives us hope for other European festivals and leaves us with our fingers crossed for events all across the world.
H/T: Mixmag
