Japan’s Fuji Rock Goes Ahead With Social Distancing, Local Talent

Due to the fact that the virus not only has not gone away but seems to have returned with a vengeance this summer in a slightly different form, various Japanese media had characterized Fuji as an “experiment” in that it would test the idea that a large-scale outdoor rock festival could be held safely and securely. 

According to the organizer, Smash Corporation, a total of 35,449 people attended the festival, which is about one-third the usual number of people who come to Naeba. The smaller number was due mainly to Smash limiting the number of tickets sold by half so as to better facilitate social distancing guidelines. Other factors that probably contributed to the lower attendance figures was the banning of alcohol on the festival site and the total lack of international artists, which is usually the main draw of Fuji Rock. All of the acts were Japanese or, at least, Japan-resident, and over the weekend several acts pulled out due to various matters having to do with the pandemic. 

Though there have been no reports of any attendee testing positive for the virus over the weekend, in a statement issued following the festival Smash said it would monitor the situation going forward and report if any attendees test positive in the future. One local newspaper expressed alarm on behalf of local residents regarding the fact that the festival went ahead, even though local merchants depend greatly on the festival for summer revenues. 

For people who could not make it, Smash live-streamed selected artists over three YouTube channels as the festival took place.