VACCINE REQUIRED
Escapade plans festival
Ottawa's Escapade Music Festival is going ahead with a Labour Day weekend edition of the event that will require proof of vaccination to attend.
The festival's team is also organizing, along with health authorities, a pop-up vaccination clinic on Saturday, July 24 at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park that will have a festive atmosphere with DJs and prizes. Details on booking appointments will be available at 10 a.m. Tuesday on the festival's social media channels.
The pandemic delayed 11th annual edition of the electronic music festival is planned for Sept. 3-5, although the site of the event has not been decided. Organizers say several locations in Ottawa are being considered, including the festival's most recent home at Lansdowne Park. The final decision will depend on capacity restrictions and other safety requirements, said festival director Ali Shafaee, promising details on the site and an update on the lineup soon.
For now, the news is the vaccination requirement.
“It makes the most sense for this year to have some extra measures in place,” Shafaee said in an interview. “It really came down to us having a tremendous fan base that showed they wanted to see some sort of festival happen in 2021, which is obviously why a lot of them hung on to their tickets.”
When asked if festivalgoers will need to be fully vaccinated, Shafaee said details on the policy are coming soon.
The 2020 edition of the event was sold out in advance, with a lineup that was to feature The Chainsmokers, Martin Garrix, Illenium and more. Refunds were available last year when the pandemic prompted authorities to prohibit large gatherings, but 75 per cent of ticket buyers chose to hold on to their tickets and wait for the rescheduled event, Shafaee said.
It really came down to us having a tremendous fan base that showed they wanted to see some sort of festival happen in 2021.
If the vaccination requirement deters any of those ticket holders, they can get a refund or roll their ticket over to next year, he added. Vaccinations aren't expected to be a condition of entry next year.
“This is by no means a long-term plan for us,” Shafaee said. “We do understand it's a personal choice. It just made the most sense for 2021, given that our festival is coming up in seven short weeks.
“We've always built Escapade as a community experience where you can go to see some of the top talent in the world and feel like you're in a safe space. We're at the tail end of a pandemic and we still want to keep people safe.”