The organisers of the Electronic Dance Music festival Sunburn have sought permission from the state government to hold the festival at Vagator from December 27 to 29. The government, however, is yet to take a call.

Said Harindra Singh, Chairman and MD, Percept, “We have placed our request to hold the event, but we have also told the government that we on our own will cancel the event if the Covid-19 situation doesn’t favour it. We need permission in advance to prepare for the big event,” We have submitted that anyone attending the festival as a ticket holder will be double vaccinated and also that organisers will ensure that all main staff working on ground will be double vaccinated, hence ensuring it to be a safe event.”

“A practice that has been followed recently for all attendees in North America live music events and festivals, EURO 2020 as well as the recent India versus England Cricket Test series. This is the current norm globally for live or stadium events,” he explained. “Nobody knows how COVID-19 will behave, whether the situation will be stable or not. We want to get early permission to finalise every bit of the festival. However, all this is subject to the COVID-19 situation at the time of the event", Singh added.

Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said that the application has not yet come to him, but that the government has no intention of allowing any event at the cost of the safety of the people of Goa. “As of now, we are not giving anyone permission, but whatever decision is taken will be in consideration of SOPs of the government, and by taking into account the ground situation,” he said.

Last year, the organisers were granted in-principle permission to hold Sunburn during the last week of December, but the decision was revoked after the Government came under intense public pressure. Congress held a protest against the organizers and condemned the Government for allowing an event that’s a big crowd puller even as the State was not fully out of the first wave of the Pandemic.

In 2020, Goa’s Covid cases soared from June, and only started dipping by September end. It was also when the State loosened travel and other restrictions, and there was a bumper rise in domestic tourists till March, giving a much needed boost to the hospitality industry.

The Tourism Minister said that they want tourists to come to Goa, as also EDM-like events that bring footfalls to the State, but the Government does want any event that will compromise the people’s health and safety.

Since last month, the inflow of tourists has gone up, with some hotels that have resumed their operations doing fairly well. Most tourism related activities have not opened yet, and while the government hasn’t indicated when the hospitality industry will be permitted to function fully, some event organisers have started advertising and marketing their events planned for the year end. “Some clubs have started selling tickets for music events that will be held in December. Though they may be small events it is unfair to those waiting for the industry to open,” a stakeholder said.

While Sunburn is awaiting a nod from the government, there are other event organisers who have already started selling the tickets. The New Year’s Eve Festival 2021-22 will be held on December 31-January 1 at a nightclub in Vagator. Thousands of visitors are expected as it is learnt pre-sale tickets are being sold via a website. Sources in the Tourism Department said they will enquire into whether the event has been granted permission owing to ongoing COVID-19 fear. Late night parties and clubs have flouted all the social distancing norms and COVID-19 appropriate behaviour as the second wave of COVID-19 hit Goa in March-April.