The organizers of major Russian music festivals are not going to cancel the events this year and expect to weaken the restrictions imposed in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, writes RBC on February 3.
Producer of the Wild Mint festival (scheduled for June 18-20 in the Aleksinsky district of the Tula region, gathered up to 60 thousand spectators) Andrei Klyukin told the publication that now the event depends on the permission of the local authorities. However, at the moment, according to the producer, ticket sales are “far from intense” – about 30% have been sold.
Klyukin acknowledged that audiences need a solid guarantee.
“The transfer of the festival is a huge financial blow, we estimate it at 18 million rubles, and if ticket holders began to demand money now, our company would most likely go bankrupt <...>. We are alive and working only thanks to the fans of our festival, ”he said.
The producer pointed out that the event is possible even with the 25% limit.
At the same time, Andrei Prokofiev, the organizer of the Moscow festival “Punks in the City”, did not agree with him. The event is scheduled for August 14, before the pandemic gathered up to 5 thousand spectators.
“The rules of 25% in force until recently, strict requirements of Rospotrebnadzor and inspections would not allow us to hold the event in the usual format. In connection with the latest news about the permitted capacity of 50%, we intend to launch the festival in the near future, ”said Prokofiev.
The organizers of the Nashestvie festival (Tver region, July 23-25, approximately 200 thousand spectators) maintain a positive attitude.
On December 25, 2020, the opening of the music festival “Denis Matsuev with friends” took place in Kazan. This is a joint project of conductor Alexander Sladkovsky and pianist Denis Matsuev. The musicians performed Chopin’s Second Concerto together at the opening.
“There are positive signals: vaccination, decrease in morbidity. In addition, last summer showed that the incidence is much lower during the hot period. One way or another, the festival will be held in strict observance of those in force at the time of its holding, ”the PR service of the festival assured.
The organizer of the “Pilotfest” Artem Kulikov said that despite the low rate of ticket sales, the organizers of the festival in the Yaroslavl region expect that on August 6-8, 20-25 thousand people will visit it.
“But if there is a requirement of Rospotrebnadzor for a 50% occupancy rate, of course, we will reduce this number,” Kulikov stressed.
The directorate of the Spasskaya Tower festival, where military music bands from different countries of the world perform, confirmed that they had already received a presidential order to hold the event on August 27 – September 5. Nevertheless, they noted that the occupancy of the stands, which usually reaches up to 100 thousand people, is now difficult to predict given the epidemiological situation.