German Pilot Festival Relies On Every-Day On Site Testing

Firebirds Festival in Leipzig, Germany, scheduled for July 2-4.
 – Firebirds Festival in Leipzig, Germany, scheduled for July 2-4.

Firebirds Festival in Leipzig, Germany, a festival with a focus on rockabilly music and fashion as well as old-timer cars from the U.S., announced it will be going ahead July 2-4 without mask or distancing mandates, but a requirement to get tested every day on site.

Rapid antigen tests are included in the ticket price, and need to be taken by everyone attending, irrespective of their vaccination or recovery status. It’s a concept developed with “experts and authorities,” as the promoters write on the festival website.
Tickets have been personalized upon purchase, a health declaration form needs to be acknowledged and confirmed, as well as an agreement to arrive on site with a negative test no older than 48 hours.
Another antigen test will be taken upon arrival. If negative, visitors will be admitted, at which point they will be able to take off their masks. Another test will become due on each of the three event days of Firebird Festival.
Different wristbands will be handed out to attendees each day, confirming their negative test status. Promoters expect “several thousand” attendees, according to local press reports, all of whom are asked to take a voluntary coronavirus test after within up to five days after the festival weekend.
The data gathered is supposed to help Germany’s live industry return to business. 
Germany is one of several European countries lacking a concrete reopening date, which would see the lifting of restrictions on social gatherings. Most of the country’s major summer events have been cancelled by now, Superbloom, a new event announced in Munich, just postponed its premiere for a second year running.