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Two Court Decisions Facilitate Germany’s Slow Reopening
Stijn De Grauwe – Each (normal) year, the Stadionbad Frankfurt turns into a festival site for the WCD Pool Sessions.
This year’s event just received the green light from the local authorities, and is scheduled to go ahead Sept. 3-5.
Two German court decisions, made by the administrative courts in Frankfurt and Berlin, respectively, mean that BigCityBeats can promote its WCD Pool Sessions in September and clubs in the capital can host a vaccinated or recovered audience indoors.
Now it’s official: BigCityBeats’ WCD Pool Sessions in Frankfurt can go ahead with a capacity of 12,000 visitors per day, Sept. 3-5. When promoter BigCityBeats event received the initial approval from the local authorities on Aug. 17, CEO Bernd Breiter quickly realized that the requirements laid out in it made a proper conduct of the event impossible.
He explained to Pollstar, how the original restrictions would have required his team to find a way of making sure each guest had five square meters of space for themselves at Frankfurt’s outdoor swimming pool Stadionbad, which transformed into an open-air festival each year for the occasion.
Breiter said, given the size of the overall area, it would have not allowed for the feeling fans have come to expect of the Pool Sessions. “It wouldn’t have been economically sustainable either,” he said.
Courtesy of BigCityBeats – Sven Väth vibing at the WCD Pool Sessions 2019.
The star DJ is scheduled to return this year.
What is more, he continued, his team was originally required to separate the event space into areas for dancing and non-dancing, which had raised all sorts of organizatorial and safety-related questions.
Breiter, utilizing the slogan “Fight for Culture!”, pointed all of this out to the relevant authorities. Frankfurt’s local health office seemed to understand, and informed BigCityBeats that the German state of Hesse, where Fankfurt is situated, would amend its escalation concept, including the requirements to receive the green light for live events.
This has now been confirmed by the city’s administrative court, which agreed with Breiter and BigCityBeats “on the critical issues,” according to a press release. Most notably, this includes a reduction of the space available to each guest to two square meters, which significantly increases the capacity.
Breiter told Pollstar, he was happy that the court was convinced by his team’s “stringent infection protection and hygiene concept and accepted our motion for two square meters per person. It means that we can host up to 12,000 people on the overall area.”
In the press release announcing the court’s decision, he hinted at his disappointment about BigCityBeats’ main event, the World Club Dome, being canceled for a second year running. The event led Pollstar’s Magna Charta 2020, with 180,000 tickets sold and $21,967,797 grossed.
He however emphasized that he was “overjoyed” at the prospect of welcoming thousands of fans across three days to the WCD Pool Sessions, which will be headlined by Andhim, Boris Brejcha, Claptone, Gregor Tresher (live),
Monika Kruse, Nina Kraviz, Sven Väth and many more.
He said, culture was a social good and important for a functioning society, “fight for culture!”
The exact requirements for guests to attend the Pool Sessions are published on the event website. They include a negative PCR test for anybody not vaccinated or recovered.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images – A participant submits for an express PCR test for Covid-19 outside the KiKat Club prior to taking part in an experimental, limited opening of Berlin nightclubs, Aug. 6.
Six clubs participated in the pilot project dubbed “Clubculture Reboot,” where approximately 2,000 people took part.
Indoor Dancing Privileges For Vaccinated & Recovered In Berlin
The vaccinated and those, who can prove they’ve recovered from coronavirus, are also in the group that’s allowed to dance inside Berlin’s famous clubs again.
Berlin’s administrative court decided on Friday, Aug. 20, that the ongoing ban on commercial indoor dance events, which is still in effect in the capital, was disproportionately disadvantaging people, who’ve had the injections or could prove a past Covid infection.
Berlin’s mayor confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday, that the senate wouldn’t be appealing the decision.
The city’s Clubcommission released a statement, welcoming the decision as it created new options for indoor dance events. It, however, also left promoters in a state of uncertainty regarding the expected rising case numbers in autumn, when restrictions might be tightened again.
Lutz Leichsenring, spokesman for the association, said, indoor dance events only made sense without distancing and mask mandates. What is more, he continued, “the decision excludes people, who aren’t or can’t be vaccinated.”
The associations’ recent “Clubculture Reboot” series of pilot events across the weekend of Aug. 6-8 resulted in no new positive PCR tests post-event, which Clubcommission deemed “encouraging.”
The association has published its own guidelines based on scientific evidence and recommendations. As long as the occurrence of new infections remains low, Clubcommission recommends admitting those able to produce their vaccination status, a recovery from coronavirus or a negative PCR test, with no masks or distancing in place.
If the occurrence of infections is high, all guests should take a PCR test, although those vaccinated twice shouldn’t have to pay for their test.