French gov declares summer event ban

The French government has announced that events of over 5,000 people will not be permitted before September, extending a previous ban that outlawed events until mid-July.

“Major sporting and cultural events – in particular festivals – major trade fairs and any other event with over 5,000 attendees cannot be held before September,” French prime minister Edouard Philippe announced last week.

It was also announced that music venues and theatres will remain closed after 11 May, when some cultural institutions such as small museums and libraries will begin to reopen. Depending on the situation, some venues may be permitted to reopen from 2 June.

Following the news of the extended ban, organisers of La Route du Rock (25,000-cap.), set to take place from 19 to 22 August with acts including Kraftwerk, Chromatics and Cigarettes After Sex, called off the festival’s 30th anniversary edition this summer.

“Major sporting and cultural events – in particular festivals – major trade fairs and any other event with over 5,000 attendees cannot be held before September”

Organisers of Rock en Seine (40,000-cap.), scheduled for 29 to 30 August in Paris, have announced they will update fans “with concrete information as soon as possible”. Rage Against the Machine and Run the Jewels are billed to play the 2020 edition of the festival.

Festivals including Eurockéennes de Belfort, Solidays, Festival d’Avignon and Main Square cancelled their 2020 editions when the French government pronounced its mid-July event ban deadline, following the lead of previously called off events Hellfest and Lollapalooza Paris.

The extended ban leaves the French festival season in the same situation as those in the Netherlands, where large events are banned until 1 September; and Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and Denmark, where a ban is in place until 31 August.

The new deadline also extends France’s restrictions beyond those in place in Hungary, which has called off large-scale events until mid-August; Luxembourg and Finland, which have prohibited mass gatherings until 31 July; and Austria, where events are off until the end of June.

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