The concert environment must be reimagined amid for the current landscape that requires social distancing as a necessary component of mitigating the transmission of the coronavirus. One new music venue in the Newcastle, England is being built with the exclusive purpose of social distancing in mind.
Currently, very limited options for concert viewing and/or attending exist. Aside from livestreams, Denmark was the first to attempt the drive-in concert concept, and, later, Arkansas went through with an event that staggered fans throughout a theater, with numerous seats marked off as unavailable and plenty of floor space separation.
Then there was recently-held controversial country concert in Tennessee with no social distancing or face mask compliance, which was a less than ideal as the state had just recorded a single-day high in number of coronavirus infections prior to the show.
As for the future, there’s a chance you’ll have to walk through a disinfectant mist before entering, but it’s all a bit uncertain.
The joint venture between SSD Concerts and Virgin Money may be on to something with the U.K.’s first music venue built anew with the intent to keeps fans safely at a distance from one another. They’ll be transforming an outdoor space to accommodate a 2,500 capacity concert, as well as DJ and comedy sets.
The outdoor venue embraces the concept of “fan pods,” which aims to have sections where clusters of fans can enjoy the show together. Presumably, this is for groups who have arrived together and are familiar with one another.
As seen in the mockup drawing below, railed platforms will maintain a regular distance from each group of fans.
Food and drinks will be available for pre-order with delivery straight to your private section. Meanwhile, bathrooms will have one-way access and hand sanitizing stations will be placed outside each viewing platform.
Regarding arrival, parking spots will be kept two meters apart and entry will be checked via license plate to ensure there is no interaction between those in the car and the parking lot attendees.
Read more about the guidelines and regulations for this unique venue here.
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