The two most popular and well-known major events in Dachau, the folk festival and “Jazz in all streets”, will fall victim to the pandemic again this year.
Instead, there should at least be a "summer on the Thomawiese" and a number of smaller music events.
Dachau
- That in August 2000 people will be allowed to sway close together in a beer tent and party seems to be out of the question.
“That doesn't work,” said Mayor Florian Hartmann in the holiday committee, “I don't have to be a great clairvoyant for that.” He and his colleagues in the city administration are therefore sure that the usual folk festival won't be able to take place this year either.
"We", says Hartmann, "no longer believe in it."
Volksfestreferent Robert Gasteiger (FW) has already said goodbye to this year's Volksfest.
What worries him, however, is what could be offered instead.
Because the last year, the city councils agreed, was - in terms of a festival - a bit poor.
The population, according to Gasteiger, is currently "just so far that they say: 'Now woi ma a moi go again!'".
Therefore, the cultural office has now been commissioned to plan a smaller festival under the working title “Summer on the Thomawiese”, comparable to the “Summer in the city” in Munich or the “Schanzer Herbstvergnügen” in Ingolstadt.
From August 7th to 16th there will be beer garden areas, a few rides and folk music during this "Summer on the Thomawiese".
Beer tents, hard alcoholic drinks and party music are explicitly not possible.
“Volksfest light” is excluded
A “Volksfest Light”, a fairground equipped as usual, to which you can only enter with tickets, as well as beer tents, in which only 200 instead of 2,000 guests are allowed, who also have to adhere to one-way street and distance rules and mask requirements.
is also out of the question for those responsible for Dachau: “You can't even imagine that,” says Tobias Schneider, head of the cultural office, with a shudder.
Apart from the fact that such concepts lack any kind of comfort, they would also be completely uneconomical: "An additional financial and organizational effort is offset by lower income."
Schneider now has a mammoth task ahead of him: after the dreary lockdown months, he should offer the citizens the most colorful possible summer - including customs, music and culture - and yet not expose them to any health risks.
At the moment, “nobody knows what this year has in store for us, but a few nice things, also for classical music fans, should be possible”, he promises.
Something should take place on the Thomawiese
He makes full use of the city guidelines for the use of the Thomawiese.
In addition to the folk festival, six other events plus one festival are permitted there.
The music summer should therefore largely take place on the Thomawiese, as well as the cult festival.
Schneider is also planning the baroque picnic, albeit on a smaller scale.
However, there shouldn't be any more car concerts this year.
According to Schneider, they were well received, “but people are hungry for face-to-face events”.
Exactly how many people will be able to attend the summer concerts can only be foreseen in a few weeks, but one thing is certain: “We have seats and ensure that there are appropriate distances.
And all of this, of course, in close consultation with the district office! "
In addition to the folk festival, which should be officially canceled by the end of April at the latest, “Jazz in all streets” will once again fall victim to the pandemic: “There are events for which I simply cannot create a Corona-compliant concept . ”“ Jazz in all streets ”, which is usually attended by well over 10,000 people in the old town, will probably only go again when there are no longer any restrictions on visitor numbers.
Festivals like “Jazz in allen Gassen” or the Volksfest, according to Schneider, “they simply live from closeness, from togetherness”.
