WASHINGTON D.C. (CelebrityAccess) — The UK’s Professional Lighting & Sound Association is joining the crusade by the live events industry in the United States to urge Congress to pass the RESTART Act (S.3814) as quickly as possible and provide economic relief for independent music venues.
As part of the campaign, PLASA will stage a nationwide event on August 27th pm-12midnight, when as many as 1,500 buildings across North America will be lit in red to highlight the dire financial circumstances that many venue find themselves in.
The targeted list of cities for the event on August 27 across North America includes Washington D.C., Huntsville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Baltimore, Las Vegas, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, and Canadian neighbors including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
The campaign follows a model used on August 11 in the UK, when more than 700 buildings were illuminated in red to bring attention to the peril faced by the live events sector there.
For many live venues, revenue has stopped completely as governments in the U.S. and abroad put public events such as concerts on hold in a bid to reduce the spread of coronavirus. The live events industry was one of the first to close and will likely be one of the last to reopen.
“This is an important cause that, if not acted upon immediately, could result in the complete collapse of our industry and the workers who make it possible,” says Brad Nelms, director of #We Make Events North America. “The results from the UK efforts were outstanding. We’re hoping that we can generate at least double the participation to demonstrate how much impact this shutdown has had and will continue to have. PLEASE share this message far and wide, and join in by lighting your house red and posting it on social media. This is our opportunity to show the world the scale of what it really takes to make events possible.”
For information about joining the event and lighting your building red, please contact: WeMakeEventsNorthAmerica@gmail.com
