Mass events may be banned but this does not prevent them from being planned and marketed, organisers have said after their adverts were criticised on social media.

“Events take a lot of time and preparation; months, sometimes years. We are not like other businesses that can open up on a day’s notice,” a spokesperson for Glitch Festival, scheduled for mid-August, told Times of Malta.

“Yes, events are still being planned, hoping that at some point, we can open business safely once again. When the time comes, every event organiser would need to be prepared for this eventuality.”

Glitch is one of three music festivals that have already set dates for weekend parties in the summer. Lost and Found 2021 and Drumcode Festival are pencilled in for September. 

Earlier this week, another party, Summer in Malta, was advertised for June 3-7, just in time to welcome the first tourists back to the island if the relaxation of COVID measures goes according to plan.

The promos have been met with concern on social media, many saying it is just too early to hold mass events. Last summer, hotel parties and similar activities were widely seen as being partly to blame for a resurgence of the virus, with dire consequences for tourism.

So far, the health authorities have so far not given their blessings for these activities to take place this year.

But the Glitch spokesperson has pushed back on the criticism, saying that while other businesses have the opportunity to re-invent themselves, entertainment organisers are not so lucky.

“This is our livelihood and we also have mouths to feed,” he said.

“We have had to make ends meet with practically no support, and our business has been shut down for over a year now.”

The government has not yet provided a timeline for events of this nature to go ahead.

“What is the rest of the world doing at the moment? They are planning and organising festivals. They have government backing and are encouraged to plan safely.

“No one can offer any assurance at the moment, however, planning is key.”

He said there was no reason why tickets could not be sold. If restrictions were still in place, the event would be postponed again.

The organisers of District, a popular event in the clubbing scene, said every business had to plan for the future.

“Marketing an event to prepare for any possible relaxation of measures should be seen as just that – sound business planning.

“Plans in this industry are always made one year in advance,” they said.

Marketing an event for any possible relaxation of measures… is sound business planning

The losses incurred by their industry included expenses made prior to 2020, which were never reimbursed, “such as summer artists and flights”.

The situation has also hit the livelihoods “not just of organisers, but also promoters, staff, suppliers and many more”.

The District organisers have reassured they will be waiting for updates and follow the regulations.

“Health must come first but we want to get back to doing what we love as soon as it is safe to do so. This requires preparation so that we are ready to hit the ground running once we get the go-ahead.”

Nick Morales, the creator and organiser of Rock the South Festival, said they had lost thousands of euros from deposits on flights and bookings due to the cancellation of the festival last year.

“If health authorities give the go-ahead for events to happen this year, we have everything planned and on stand-by to do so, but it will be a much smaller and low-key festival and with no foreign acts.”

Earth Garden organiser, Reuben Spiteri, echoed the need to wait for the authorities’ advice but he sees no problem in event organisers planning for the summer.

Earth Garden has been postponed for 2022.

“Organisers can plan whatever they want, but it is the health authorities that have the final decision,” he said.

Elsewhere…

The German government has provided a €2.5 billion cancellation fund to allow event organisers to plan for the second half of 2021.

The Austrian government has a similar scheme, of €300 million, a ‘protective umbrella’ for promoters to organise shows, concerts and live events.

Last month, the Dutch government ran trials to see if festivals were safe.

The Back to Live festival saw 1,000 people together, dancing and drinking, one of seven similar experiments.

Temperatures were taken and negative tests produced before entry. Of more than 6,000 people who attended, five were found to have been infected around the time of the event.