Amidst all of the COVID-19 heartbreaks, it’s no secret that the entertainment and events industry has taken a huge hit. In an industry where it’s hard for people to be spread out – many venues and promotional companies are coming up with ways to still have fun while being “socially-distant.” There have been events ranging from car raves to virtual festivals. One venue in the Netherlands has taken it up a notch and held a seated, socially distant techno party last weekend.
Club goers were able to enter Doornroosje, an 800 capacity venue in Nijmegan (Eastern Nethlerands). The event was called “Social D(ist)ancing” and was complete with full sound and lighting production. During this event, 6 different DJ’s played 20 minute sets. The rules? 30 people were allowed per set and their chairs were 1.5 meters apart. (approximately 5 feet) Guests were not allowed to interact with one another but footage from the event does show people standing near their chair and dancing.
While the set up was different than what most are used to, the overall consensus from attendees was that it was a very fun event and nice to get up and to dance again!
Compared to the entire US, the Netherlands has much more relaxed lockdown restrictions. However, bars and night clubs are not allowed to operate with more than 30 people inside. It will be interesting to see if the US and other countries adopt this idea so we can all find our happy place again, even if it is only for 20 minutes!
