The Government’s Events Research Programme provides the path back to live music and entertainment, testing protocols and mitigations to enable full-capacity audiences at shows.
When it was announced, there was no event that replicated large-scale outdoor music festivals, which was vital to enable them to go ahead this summer. Blakeney worked with the live music industry to rectify that omission, both in campaigning media activity and direct political engagement, and after a number of weeks the Government announced that a new event in Liverpool, run by Festival Republic, would be added to the programme.
On Sunday 2 May, 5,000 people sang and danced the night away in Sefton Park, without masks or social distancing, following extensive testing and safety protocols. It is hoped the results from this, and other events in the ERP, will pave the way for a fabulous summer of music and entertainment.