This afternoon, the outgoing government hosted a “press moment” after their discussion of the future of festivals, reports the NOS.
During their discussion, they decided that small outdoor festivals without overnight stays can start up again from August 14 — under “strict conditions.” Currently, only one-day festivals with fixed seating are allowed.
Which conditions exactly?
To avoid large outbreaks, such as those seen from previous festivals this summer, no more than 750 people are allowed to attend festivals once they can open in two weeks.
The festivals have to be outdoors, or in a tent that is open four sites. All attendees must either be fully vaccinated, or they can provide a negative test taken within 24 hours or show proof of having been infected in the past six months. In short, attendees need to show a valid QR code from the CoronaCheck app.
READ MORE | Vaccinated in the Netherlands? Here’s how you can prove it
What about larger events?
Some might be ruing the prospect of a summer without large festivals, but all hope is not lost. The government will reevaluate its decision to ban festivals with more than 750 visitors before the next press conference on August 13.
Which way the government is leaning on this decision is still uncertain.
Summary proceedings against the government
However, event organisers such as ID&T (among others) think August 13 is too late — no matter the outcome of the government decision.
They argue that, even if larger festivals with overnight stays are allowed to start back up after August 13, they won’t have the necessary time to prepare for them. The Dance Valley festival, for example, is due to take place from August 14, leaving practically no time for organisers to prepare.
Because of this, ID&T and 40 other festival organisers have started summary proceedings against the Dutch government. For now, the proceedings have been put on hold.
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Feature Image: Vonecia Carswell/Unsplash