Irish coronavirus exit plan reveals festivals could return with social distancing measures in August

The future of live music is up in the air due to the ongoing pandemic. Many venues across the UK are experiencing uncertain futures, and have turned to public fundraisers to help with payments during the lockdown. The majority of festivals have also cancelled their 2020 events, with only a handful rescheduling for later this year despite not knowing if restrictions will allow them to go ahead for their new dates.

On Saturday (2 May), the Irish government published its COVID-19 exit plan, which includes a roadmap of five phases that run until August.

Phase five, which will be introduced on 10 August, mentions the return of larger social gatherings with social distancing restrictions still in place. Festivals are among the events being introduced in phase five, but the exit plan reiterates that festivals can only take place "in accordance with both indoor and outdoor number restrictions and where social distancing can be complied with."

It's unclear how achievable this part of the exit plan is as festival lineups could be difficult due to restrictions/reservations about international travel, and just trying to keep people separated at a safe distance is a task in itself.

Although it might seem difficult, some European countries have presented a viable option for festivals and music events during the pandemic - drive-in concerts. Last week, Denmark and Germany hosted drive-in events that sold out in minutes, and were hosted successfully while sticking to the social distancing measures.