The Festival off d'Avignon will be held from July 7 to 31 but will have to deal with gauge restrictions - up to 70% - and fewer slots to allow the hundreds of registered venues to be broken down.
"Today, we can say that there will be an Off 2021"
, assured Sébastien Benedetto, President of Avignon festival & Compagnies (AF&C), which organizes the festival on Tuesday.
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“The idea is not to say that all is well but that the majority of participants can organize themselves. There are still theaters, structures and companies that are having trouble getting organized, we will be there to support them, ”
he added during a press conference via Zoom. Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot confirmed on Tuesday that the gauge would be 65% from June 9 and that this restriction would be lifted on July 1.
But
"for the moment, we remain on the idea that we will have at least gauges of 65-70%"
, argued Sébastien Benedetto, cautious.
There will be "a spacing time" of 40 to 45 minutes
"between the show slots so that there can be aeration and disinfection"
.
"There is no special air filtration obligation (...) but the ministry is ready to help rooms wishing to be equipped with UV air purifiers
,
"
said Sébastien Benedetto.
1000 shows registered
With nearly 1,500 shows and around 1,000 companies, the festival is the largest live performance market in France.
This year, there are currently 586 companies, 108 venues (compared to 129 in 2019) and around 1,000 registered shows.
"But these are not final figures
,
"
companies still have until May 17 to register their show, said AF & C deputy director Nikson Pitaqaj.
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According to the organizers, the Ministry of Culture is committed to supporting artistic teams with
"employment assistance"
and
"deficit support"
for
"places that would be forced to make fewer slots"
. He assured that
"there is no question today of a health pass"
and that the town hall was asked to reserve
"all the parking spaces in front of the theaters which request it"
to arrange lines waiting fluids. Discussions are also underway on the
“direction of movement”
in the streets of a city which becomes a real anthill during the festival. The
"off"
takes place at the same time as the Festival d'Avignon, known as the
“in”
.