A message to our beloved Festival Squad Community:
What a ride the last year has been. In 2020 we abruptly had our livelihood ripped out from underneath us. Live music and festivals were being cancelled left and right. Unemployment rates were at an all time high. The virus was spreading rapidly, taking the lives of innocent people causing devastation to families and communities worldwide. All of us have struggled in so many ways. Our personal finances, our mental health, and for some of us, our physical health, have taken a toll. We’ve seen promoters across the country quickly pivot to live streams, drive-in shows, pod events and vertical events. For all of us, especially those working in the live music industry, or those who were so integrated and attended shows featuring our favorite artists, the idea of going back to “normal” seemed like a distant and unattainable dream.
Now, nearly 50% of the United States population has received at least one dose of the vaccination. Other countries worldwide are also following through with vaccination rollouts. That “unattainable dream” has quickly shot back into our reality and we’re seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Music has slowly started to enter our lives again and our beloved community is ready for it. Ubbi Dubbi debuted as the #FirstFestivalBack, hosting the first in person multi-day music festival in the state of Texas. While it was debated on whether or not it was too soon, the state of Texas approved the event (being approved after the state lifted its mask mandate). In addition, it provided work for thousands of individuals who have not worked in 13 months. We will continue to see this progression of music and festivals coming back as more and more states lift their restrictions.
So what does this mean?
As we move forward into the year and back into music, as a community, we will continue to follow the guidelines provided by the events. Our message to you all for the upcoming festival season is to make sure that we are doing what we can to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 by getting tested, wearing our masks and/or receiving a vaccination. We will be supporting local brands that have suffered so much in the last year and will do what we can to communicate from a place of love and empathy. We encourage everyone to do what feels right and comfortable for them when attending shows or festivals again. And if that means taking another year off of festivals, we support that too.
To kick off the re-launch of Festival Squad, we are rolling out a weekly newsletter keeping you informed on everything in the music world. We will be updating you on live streams, live events, new artists, music releases and more. In addition, we will provide headlines of what’s new via credible news sources in the space. You can read through this newsletter for quick updates, or dive in and read an entire article. If you are not subscribed to us yet, sign up here.
We are excited to come back to the space that we love just as much as you are. Additionally, we hope that you enjoy these updates as we release them. Please stay tuned for more exciting news in music, festivals and beyond. Thank you for reading our “State of the Festival Union” message, and thank you for being here with us.
Stephanie Rosa
Founder, Festival Squad