Tomorrow, 5th January 2020 at 10 am, the organisers of Parklife and Boomtown festivals will be heard by MPs on the DCMS (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) Select Committee. They will discuss the possibility of having live shows and in-person audiences for their 2021 shows during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The hearing will begin at 10am and stream live on parliamentlive.tv, with Parklife co-founder Sacha Lord and Boomtown Communications and Strategy Director Anna Wade appearing to speak along with CEO of UK Music Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, CEO of the AIF Paul Reed and the General Secretary of the AFO Steve Heap.
According to a press release, they will explore the requirements “for UK-based music festivals to survive the impact of Covid-19 and the health and financial barriers to planning festivals in 2021.” Many other festivals and venues have been attempting to find strategies to manage the virus and still hold events, including Glastonbury and Primavera.
Usually held in South Downs National Park in August, Boomtown posted to their Instagram last week to celebrate the new year, writing, “The dawn of 2021 is a chance to allow real and tangible change to take place; towards a better planet and care for all living things.” This year’s five-day event will run from 11th-15th August. In Parklife’s last Instagram post on 7th December 2020, they explained that they have moved their weekend dates to 11th and 12th September, to allow them time to plan. They assured fans that “a huge lineup is almost ready, that we can’t wait to show you in January. Trust us when we say it’s going to be worth the wait.”
