BRADENTON BLUES FESTIVAL PROCEEDING WITH CARE With a nine-year tradition of showcasing outstanding Blues music, the Bradenton Blues Festival is proceeding with the outdoor Blues music event on December 4–5, 2020. If ever a year needed the improvisational style of the Blues, it’s 2020. So, we proceed, but with care. Care for our musicians, our community, and our fans. Current plans will reduce the audience by twothirds and move the festival to a new venue that is twice as large as the former Riverwalk location. Historic LECOM Park, the spring training home for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has a seating capacity of 7,500. With 1,100 festival attendees, social distancing in an outdoor environment is achievable. THANK YOU, BLUES MUSIC LOVERS! We are truly grateful for your understanding and cooperation during this unprecedented time. Your love of live music has inspired us to find new ways to make the 2020 Bradenton Blues Festival a reality. Additionally, your ticket purchase brings a much-needed payday to Blues musicians at a critical time. LIMITED TICKET SALES Friday Blues Appetizer evening event—as we proceed with care, the event will be limited to 500 attendees and tickets are required. Saturday Bradenton Blues Festival event— at this time, 600 tickets are available. To purchase tickets, visit: https://www.bradentonbluesfestival.org/ By purchasing tickets, attendees agree to the health and safety protocols as indicated in this document. A week before the festival, ticket buyers will receive an email regarding festival parking, will call, seating assignments, and the health and safety procedures all attendees are expected to follow. Any questions, please email Blues@RealizeBradenton.com LIVE STREAMING SUPPORTS BLUES MUSICIANS Continuing the festival in 2020, allows for live streaming to a worldwide audience to raise funds for the Blues Foundation’s COVID-19 Blues Musician Emergency Relief Fund. This fund provides immediate resources to full-time professional North American Blues musicians whose revenue streams have been severely diminished by the current coronavirus pandemic. IF THE FESTIVAL IS CANCELED As a nonprofit organization, Realize Bradenton has directed previous festival proceeds to help support art, music, and nutrition programs. If circumstances require and the festival is canceled, you can choose to maximize our ability to continue the festival in future years, as well as to provide direct support to community programs. Please consider either: • Donating your ticket as tax deductible gift to nonprofit Realize Bradenton • Requesting a roll-over ticket to the 2021 festival If these options are not possible, you can request a refund of the ticket price, not including the convenience fee. FESTIVAL PROCEDURES FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY The safety of our musicians, fans, staff, and volunteers is a priority. Because public health officials are continuing to learn more about COVID-19, festival procedures must be flexible to ensure conformance to the latest guidelines and recommendations. So, with the understanding that things may change, here are the ways we are planning to make it possible to experience live music in a safe manner. SCREENING ATTENDEES Anyone presenting symptoms will not be allowed to enter. This includes staff, volunteers, musicians, and attendees. Temperatures will be checked before entry and anyone with a 100.4º temperature or above will not be granted permission to enter. ENTERING AND EXITING THE STADIUM To manage traffic flow in a safe manner, there will be one entrance and one exit. If attendees leave the stadium, they will not be allowed to re-enter. SOCIALLY DISTANCED GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING General admission attendees will pick up their seat assignments at the will call windows. Tickets purchased with one transaction will be seated together and socially distanced six feet from other attendees. SOCIALLY DISTANCED FRONT OF STAGE The stage will be located behind second base. A limited number of front of stage seating is available about 60’ in front of the elevated stage. Tickets purchased with one transaction will be seated together and socially distanced six feet from other attendees. FACE MASKS Face masks are required to be worn by all attendees when they are not in their socially distanced seats, including the entry area by will call. Reasonable exceptions will be made for people eating or drinking while physically distanced from others. Plan to bring a mask to enter the festival. If you cannot wear a mask, please do not purchase a ticket. Please follow face-covering guidelines outlined by the CDC, as well as state and local requirements. Staff and volunteers will also wear masks at all times, except when eating or drinking. Musicians will wear masks, except when performing. NO SMOKING There is no smoking permitted in the stadium during the festival. If you are unable to refrain from smoking, please do not purchase a ticket. FOOD AND BEVERAGES Food and beverages will be available for sale at the concession stands with 6 feet of social distancing for people in line. As in past years, attendees cannot bring food and beverages into the festival. SIGNAGE Signage and distance markers will guide attendees and serve as reminders of health and safety practices. ENHANCED CLEANING AND DISINFECTION MEASURES Prior to the start of the event, seats will be cleaned and sanitized. Surfaces at the food and beverage concessions and in the bathrooms will be disinfected regularly following CDC recommendations. KEEP HANDS CLEAN Multiple hand sanitizer stations will be located throughout the stadium. Consider bringing alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you. Hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds upon leaving bathrooms is recommended. STAY HOME IF YOU’RE SICK Be responsible and stay home if you have any COVID-19 symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has had COVID-19 or has experienced COVID-19 symptoms in the past 14 days. Going cashless is highly recommended. Using touchless credit cards is highly encouraged. BLUES LOVERS, WE NEED YOUR COOPERATION These procedures reflect current thinking. As more is learned over time, we will update you. By attending you are keeping the Blues alive and supporting Blues musicians. You are also agreeing to follow these health and safety procedures. Personnel will circulate to monitor that people are complying. Attendees who are not following the procedures, can be escorted out of the stadium, at the event organizer’s discretion.