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As the Covid-19 Delta variant continues to spread rapidly across the nation, organizers of the upcoming Capital One City Park Foundation SummerStage announced new safety guidelines on Thursday.
Attendees will now be required to provide proof of vaccination and wear face coverings upon entry. The policy will take effect starting August 14, just a few days before a citywide vaccine mandate for indoor entertainment venues, indoor dining, and fitness centers starts.
SummerStage has hosted a plethora of exciting outdoor concerts in various NYC parks this summer, including performances from funk-legend George Clinton and a MET Opera summer recital. This month, the series will host performances from the rap group Armand Hammer & The Alchemist (Aug 15) and rap star Common (Aug 22).
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Back in June, Heather Lubov, the executive director at City Parks Foundation, told us that SummerStage would have limited capacity (down from 5,500 to 1,100 people) because it would not be requiring proof of vaccination for the foreseeable future. Instead, the series would keep everyone seated and require masks unless health guidelines change.
Now that they have, attendees will have to provide proof of final Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna or WHO-approved vaccination using the CLEAR app, the NYS Excelsior Pass, NYC Covid Safe app, a physical/photo of CDC vaccination card, or EU digital pass, accompanied by government-issued photo identification.
Children 12 or under will not be required to proof of vaccination. The date of final vaccination must be at least fourteen days before the show date. In addition, masks and other face coverings are required for entry, and guests are strongly encouraged to wear masks for the full duration of shows.
In a press email, organizers of Summerstage laid out other safety measures being taken at events, writing, "All SummerStage staff will continue to wear masks at all times and enhanced cleaning protocols will remain in place throughout the venue In Central Park, while pre-packaged food and beverage purchases will remain contactless through QR code. We encourage all guests to arrive early in order to prevent lines and crowding at venue entrances. For free SummerStage performances, most shows will be available to live stream at summerstageanywhere.org, free of charge, if guests are unable to attend in person."
The new safety measures by Summerstage are likely to be replicated by other music festivals and events in New York City — especially as cases continue to tick upwards. For example, Governors Ball, which occurs in September, has still not decided on an official Covid-19 policy and recently told us it is "working closely with the city and we will follow all state and federal health guidelines provided."
A full list of Summerstage concerts can be found here. You can learn more about acceptable documentation, mask guidelines, and other safety protocols here or contact boxoffice@summerstage.org with any questions.