A cross-party committee of MPs have stated that immediate action must be taken to save the UK’s music festivals from another "lost summer" as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, an experimental indoor concert held in Spain with no social distancing has resulted in zero Covid cases, and the Hollywood Bowl in the US will reopen at full capacity (18,000 seats) on June 15th.

In the UK, a report from the Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee argued that a government-backed insurance scheme was necessary to save festivals, though it would be too late for many events.

Another summer without income would not only cause the demise of many smaller festivals, but could threaten the long-term future of the sector. Companies in the supply chain would presumably also close down and skilled specialist staff would make the move to other jobs.

The issues had been made exponentially worse by a lack of access to the UK government’s culture recovery fund, with no festivals included in the series of pilot schemes designed to test the viability of mass events.

Conservative MP Julian Knight, the committee's chair, remarked that music festivals had been “treated as the poor relation by the government”. In a normal year, the sector stages nearly 1,000 events – contributing £1.76 billion to the UK economy and supporting 85,000 jobs.

The committee’s report warns that, while the government’s plan to exit lockdown includes most distancing measures potentially being removed in England on June 21st, it might not be known if this will happen until a week before as a result of the Indian variant. This would prove far too late for festivals to plan.

Events taking place in July will have paid out 40% of their costs by June 14th, and more than a quarter of festivals with a capacity of more than 5,000 have already been cancelled for 2021.

The industry has been calling for months for an insurance scheme similar to that offered to the film and TV industries, which allowed production to restart earlier in the pandemic.

Despite this, the report says, the government has “refused to take multiple opportunities to address the market failure in the provision of insurance for live events this summer and set the conditions to unlock the significant economic and cultural contribution made by festivals and their supply chains”.

Another long-term impact could be further consolidation in the sector, the report said, with smaller, independent festivals being replaced or bought up by two big firms, Live Nation and AEG Presents. These firms already operate nearly a third of events with 5,000-plus attendances, so this move could affect pricing and diversity, the report added. A monopoly on festival events would be hugely damaging.

Yet another negative knock-on effect of most festivals again being cancelled in 2021 could be what the report called a “permanent skills gap”, with many of the companies that supply services to festivals closing and staff or freelancers changing jobs.

A UK government spokesperson emphasised the Events Research Programme, which "has explored how festivals can get back up and running safely and festival organisers have received more than £34m from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, with more support on the way."

We’ve heard stark warnings that festivals won’t happen this summer without insurance, but the Government are leaving it too late to act. We recommend they do so urgently to prevent further cancellations. #FutureOfFestivalsInquiry @julianknight15 pic.twitter.com/Vf8FsKaFy0

— Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (@CommonsDCMS) May 29, 2021

Numerous test concerts and pilot events have shown that Covid transmission is low, with a recent case proving that gigs and other mass events are only "as risky as going shopping" - according to initial data from UK Covid trials.

Last December, hundreds of people attended a Barcelona arena for five hours of live music and DJ sets without social distancing.

The large-scale science experiment was designed to see if large indoor concerts could take place safely amid the coronavirus pandemic. Researchers found that not one of the concertgoers tested positive for the coronavirus after the event, according to results published Wednesday on the website of the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. While similar experiments have taken place in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, the Barcelona researchers appear to be the first to publish their findings in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

While social distancing wasn’t required, attendees were required to wear N95 face masks throughout the event. The only exceptions were at a designated outdoor smoking area, where only 20 people could gather at a time and distancing was mandatory, and an indoor bar area where masks could be briefly removed while drinking. Temperatures inside the venue were kept under 70 degrees for comfort, and doors were left open to allow additional ventilation.

The concert took place before coronavirus vaccines were available in Spain, but at a time when roughly 221 cases being reported for every 100,000 people in the Catalonia region. All participants were required to take rapid antigen tests ahead of the concert — a method of testing for the coronavirus that is less accurate than others but delivers results within minutes.

More than 1,000 people passed the test and became part of the experiment, with half ushered into the concert and the other half sent home as a control group. Two members of the control group tested positive for the coronavirus eight days later, the researchers found, but none of the concert attendees did.

“Our study provides early evidence that indoor music events can take place without raising the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission when comprehensive safety measures are in place,” the study’s lead author, Josep Llibre of Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, said in a statement.

“It is important that our findings are considered in light of the situation in Spain at the time — when cases were not high and many restrictions were in place. As a result, our study does not necessarily mean that all mass events are safe.”

In March, researchers hosted an even larger concert in Barcelona with similar safety measures in place. About 5,000 people attended, and six people tested positive for the coronavirus within 14 days of the event.

In the US, landmark venue the Hollywood Bowl is now planning on filling all 18,000 seats when it reopens on June 15th. Dodger Stadium will fill 56,000 seats on sale for games beginning next month, without any social distancing. NYC's Radio City Music Hall is selling 5,960 shoulder-to-shoulder seats to vaccinated customers in an indoor setting.

Get ready for a summer in the great outdoors! We’re thrilled to announce the 2021 season at @TheFordLA. 🎉 Tickets go on sale June 15. #TheFord

Learn More: https://t.co/GwN5ggJcN7 pic.twitter.com/Z215SjKWBE

— Hollywood Bowl (@HollywoodBowl) May 26, 2021

California officials said this week that, beginning June 15th, outdoor events could return to full capacity, with attendees urged - but not required- to show proof of vaccination or a negative test results.

In Ireland, James Vincent McMorrow is set to perform the first serious gig since lockdown. The show will take place in the Iveagh Gardens, on Thursday, June 10th.

A crowd of 500 will be allowed to attend, which is just a fraction of the normal capacity of the bucolic Dublin City centre venue. The gig is being promoted by the National Concert Hall, with support incoming from Sorcha Richardson - whose song 'Starlight Lounge' was co-produced by James.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, has announced the full series of pilot events “to bring live music and culture back to Irish audiences.”

An outdoor music festival – proposed for Dublin’s Phoenix Park – is slated for June 26th. Events will take place around the country, featuring a mix of live music, comedy and other concerts.

Numbers and locations will vary across counties and venues and the preparation of guidance for managing the events is under way. Other events, under the Department’s remit of sport, will also be opening on a pilot basis.

“It has been a long and difficult 15 months for so many musicians, artists, athletes, venue operators, crew and audiences,” said Minister Martin.

“As Minister for Culture, the Arts and Sport, I have pressed for venues to be allowed reopen. Cabinet has agreed a list of exciting pilot events for arts and sports that we are now organising.”

She pointed to the fact that people will now be able to gather to celebrate artists, enjoy sporting events, theatre productions and other entertainment for the first time since 2020.

“We are reopening our stages, concerts, sports, our country. We are back to doing what we love, what makes us Irish, connecting with people as we move together towards the recovery.”