Vaccine and testing mandates quickly became the norm throughout the events industry last year, both for B2B shows and live entertainment. Live Nation and AEG were among the first large-scale organizers to implement vaccine and/or testing requirements to attend shows last summer, and CES announced similar requirements a few days later.
As the Omicron wave subsides in the US and local guidelines are relaxed, this week marked the first sign of loosening event restrictions as well. On Tuesday, California updated its guidance for outdoor mega-events, which are defined as events with at least 10,000 people — and the Goldenvoice-operated Coachella and Stagecoach festivals wasted no time in updating their entry requirements accordingly.
Coachella simply updated its website information, while Stagecoach also tweeted the following update: “Festival Admission Update: As we prepare to spend an incredible weekend in the desert together we are announcing that there will be no vaccination, testing or masking requirements at Stagecoach 2022, in accordance with local guidelines.”
Although Covid cases are declining across the US, daily deaths still sit at about 2,000, and it’s important to note that while no longer required for large outdoor events in California, proof of vaccination or a negative test is still recommended (and it is still required for indoor mega-events of 1,000 people or more).
Coachella and Stagecoach are leading the way in forgoing all Covid-related protocols, which may inspire others to do the same if and when local guidelines allow, but many organizers will likely continue to follow government recommendations, and not just requirements, for the time being. Some may also wait to see how Coachella plays out. Either way, indoor events (which covers most B2B events and many live shows as well) will have to deal with mandates for a little while longer, although that will likely soon change as well.
Coachella and Stagecoach were canceled in both 2020 and 2021, so this will be a long-awaited true return to normalcy for fans, assuming nothing changes. Both do stipulate that the events “shall be presented in accordance with applicable public health conditions as of the date of the event and which may change at any time as determined by federal, state or local government agencies or instrumentalities, artists or the promoter.”