Will masks be legally required for gigs?

[R0ca75]

I have had a look at the government information page but I can't see any specific mention of gig venues e.g. O2 Academy etc. Theatres and cinemas will require them but it seems pubs and nightclubs won't.

I guess you'll have to wait for them to publish the details, but I'm fairly sure it was said that a large venue (500+ indoors, 4000+ outdoors) would be affected. The I think they explicitly said pubs and restaurants would not require masks as it wasn't feasible to wear them and eat/drink, but can't remember if nightclubs were explicitly exempted.

Oh sorry - that 500+ indoors/4000 outdoors was vaccine/LFT passports.

In Scotland we don't have to wear masks inside a gig unless you want to.
I expect it will be the same in England.

@kittykarate and @FlamingGoat, thank you both for the info. I guess I should probably hold off on getting tickets for a couple of days until the England guidance is clarified.

I think gigs will come under large events so vaccine passports needed.

We went to a gig on Monday in Glasgow. They just scan the vaccine app along with your ticket.

I am wanting to know if need to wear masks to go clubbing. It’s gonna kill the dance music industry if we have to wear masks on the dance floor

@Dumpypumpy I agree. Gigging and clubbing in a mask just isn't appealing. I don't particularly mind scanning my vaccine app as that should (theoretically) only take a minute or so. Having said that, I went to a large gig about a month back and so many people were attempting to use the app at the same time that it froze and created a dangerous bottleneck, so everybody was waved through anyway!

There is a mask exemption for singing. Yes. Really.

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn
Exchange of the day at today's lobby briefing on Plan B:

"If I'm in a theatre watching a musical, can I take my mask off to sing?"

No10: "Yes. There is a general exemption for singing"

^So could I walk into Tesco without a mask as long as I'm singing?

No10: "Essentially, yes"

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn
Officials clarify: rules on masks will state you need "a reasonable excuse" to be singing while not wearing a mask where required to. So a musical theatre yes, but it might be hard to justify singing maskless in Tescos (unless you're a carol singer??)

We will just forget the science bit about how singing helps spread covid more easily...

Venues where you are singing dancing drinking or eating are apparently excluded from mask wearing. We are off to a gig on Saturday and will just keep sipping our beers

Oh that’s a relief @Puppylucky, I can club till the end of 2021 then I think everything will shut in January anyway