NIGHTCLUBS remain closed because of the coronavirus pandemic but alternative events are being planned for the summer by some of the biggest names on the Scottish circuit.
After a five-year hiatus, Scotland’s Slam Tent, one of the biggest dance tents on the European festival scene, has announced it intends to create “one of the greatest dance floors Scotland has ever seen”.
The Glasgow based business has joined forces with Edinburgh promoters FLY for a three-day festival with the aim of pulling in crowds of 5000 each day.
The ambitious plan has just been announced despite the cancellation last week of the Summer Nights concerts in Glasgow. Organisers of the July events at the Kelvingrove Bandstand blamed social distancing restrictions which may still be in place. The same line-up, which includes Primal Scream and Van Morrison has been pencilled in for next summer.
The Belladrum Tartan Heart event has also been cancelled for a second consecutive year, while TRNSMT, the country’s biggest music festival, has moved its dates back two months to September in the hope social distancing measures will be lifted by the autumn and it can welcome crowds of up to 50,000 per day.
Dave Clarke, director of Slam Events, told the Sunday National he thought it would be possible to hold a safe gathering without social distancing this summer.
“It is not possible to host dance music events, gigs and festivals with social distancing and the events industry has been clear about this from the start of the pandemic, but it’s one of the most important ways to socialise, especially for young people,” he said. “After more than a year of isolation it’s more important than ever. Our sector will always prioritise health and safety and is known for its attention to detail when planning and we will always find solutions and mitigations to allow people to gather safely.
“When the prevalence of Covid-19 is at low levels in society and vaccination, testing and tracing is widely available we think it can be possible to deliver a safe gathering without social distancing. Scotland needs this more than many realise.”
He added that the sector was still calling on the UK Government to underwrite the cancellation of festivals if Covid restrictions return at short notice.
Slam tickets go on-sale on Thursday via theslamtent.com
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