Stuart WoodA number of illegal raves took place over the weekend of 13-14 June, which have drawn criticism from the live industry for disregarding distancing measures.
The raves have also been used as an example of what could happen if the government further delays publishing guidance on how the live and festival industries can reopen.
On Saturday 13 June, hundreds of people in Greater Manchester gathered in Daisy Nook Park in Oldham. Footage from the gathering shows a large sign reading ‘quarantine rave’.
2,000 people were also reported to have gathered in Carrington, Trafford for a similar event. Greater Manchester Police say they are investigating the rape of an 18-year old woman and the stabbing of three men at the Carrington rave.
Another rave was reported in Fradley, north of Birmingham, on Saturday 13 June. Around 500 people were reported at the event, and photographs show litter left in the woodland site in the aftermath.
The illegal raves have drawn criticism from the live industry. Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, tweeted on Sunday: “If you are one of the morons who attended one of the illegal raves in Partington and Daisy Nook last night, you are a disgrace. You’ve now put yourselves, your friends, your families and loved ones at risk. I’ve seen some of the footage. You aren’t clubbers. Just selfish idiots.”
Nick Morgan, CEO of We Are the Fair and Vice-Chair at the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP), expressed frustration that no official guidelines or reopening dates have been provided to the live and festival industries.
In an Instagram post featuring a photo of the rave in Daisy Nook, Morgan commented: “This is not helpful to our industry and will get worse so please can government give some milestones to our sector. We have nothing! No detail on support/opening and we will be the last industry in this country to be allowed to undertake our work!”
The BVEP expressed released a statement on Friday afternoon warning of “catastrophic consequences” for the UK’s £70bn events industry if the government further delays publishing guidelines for ho it can reopen.
Image credit: Manchester Evening News