WA concert and festival promoters respond to state’s tougher new rules

Western Australia’s tougher revised COVID-Safe rules on concerts and festivals have set alarm bells ringing for the state’s promoters.

Live Entertainment WA (LEWA), made up of major promoters and other businesses in the live entertainment industry, held urgent talks with the state’s chief health officer Dr Andrew Robertson.

Bar Pop expected two of its biggest events to be affected and warned that some businesses which rely on festivals “simply won’t make it to next summer”.

Concerts with permanent and temporary fixed seating must now have a minimum of two square metres per person; seat groups 1.5m apart; have no dance area, stage or moshpit because these encourage people to congregate in large numbers; have a maximum of 10,000 patrons; cut alcohol service after six hours because drunken patrons stop socially distancing; and have a ticketing or a contact register system.

At concerts with no fixed seating with patrons bringing their own chairs or picnic rugs, they must remain seated, and attendance is capped to 6,000.

Restrictions for festivals where alcohol is the primary focus include a ban on visible stages, entertainment, performances or focal points of interest, in a bid to minimise congregation around the alcohol point of sale.

Dance floors and stages are permitted at events with up to 1,500 people, bringing the guidelines in line with indoor venues as pubs and clubs.

At the LEWA meeting with Dr Robertson last Friday (January 15), five members of the association and its health consultant, asked for clarification of the guidelines and conveyed how devastating 2020 had been to them and how summer shows were important to finally generate revenue.

“At the meeting with Health good progress was made in getting some understanding and Health has undertaken to consider the points put by LEWA,” association vice president John Zaccaria told TMN.

He noted that not only were WA’s live restrictions tougher than those in other states, but cricket and football matches with bigger crowds in less supervised situations are allowed.

“LEWA expected guidelines to be relaxed rather than tightened and is disappointed this did not happen.

“The industry has worked hard to abide by all guidelines and has had no instance of any COVID-19 infection or scare. There’s been no misbehaviour at all at any event run by LEWA members.

“Events have been cancelled, postponed and held in limbo as thing clarify. The truth is that it is almost impossible to profitably promote successful live events with the current restrictions.”

LEWA asked authorities to raise the audience cap from 6,000 to 12,000 to counterbalance the fees paid to performers and additional COVID-related costs as marshals, security and sanitising stations.

The nationwide Zaccaria Concerts & Touring lists among its WA events major festivals as Castaway (March 20) and By The C (March 27).

The Sandalford Estate in Swan Valley where Red Hot Summer is staged holds 16,000. When tickets went on sale, the crowd was limited to 10,000. The show sold out two months ago. Now it has to be slashed to 6,000.

Bar Pop’s directors Aedan Buckley and Chris Bausor warned that under current rules it “appears unlikely” events of more than 1,500 people and with focal points such as stages would be allowed in WA in the near future.

They expected its SNACK Weekender and Factory Summer shows in February, March and April to be affected.

SNACK Weekender features Tame Impala Sound System – the first incarnation of Tame Impala’s electronic performances – at Stadium Park in Burswood on February 26 and Lime Cordiale the day after.

The duo explained: “Unfortunately, every time an event of Factory Summer Festival’s scale is unable to proceed, there is a massive and devastating economic fallout.

“Thousands of jobs lost will be lost. Hundreds of small businesses, contractors and suppliers who rely on events of this nature will be significantly impacted. Some businesses simply won’t make it to next summer.

“The event industry is a sector that has been absolutely decimated by COVID-19.

“It is crushing that events such as Factory Summer Festival, which contributed a combined $24 million direct economic impact over 2018 and 2019, might not have the opportunity to become a rare beacon of light in reigniting an industry and providing flow-on effects to WA’s economy.”

The WA Health Department said it had expected to relax restrictions after its three-month review.

However it was not possible due to outbreaks on the east coast and new COVID strains.

The WAHD sternly also noted that some events had contravened their own COVID-Safe rules, and a more “defined set of requirements for a range of event formats” was needed to be staged in a “consistent manner across the state.”

The guidelines warned: “Failure to comply with a COVID Event Plan may result in the event being closed down or future COVID Event Plans by the event organiser being rejected.

“It may also impact future events by the same artist performing in a similar format.”