Sold-out Railbird music festival announces COVID-related changes
The upcoming sold-out Railbird outdoor music festival in Lexington is still on for now, but there will be some big changes: The festival announced Friday that it will require all attendees to either be fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID.
Unvaccinated attendees will be required to wear a mask.
The music festival, which was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, is scheduled for Aug. 28-29 at Keeneland.
The vaccine requirement comes as the more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus is causing a surge in cases and hospitalizations in Kentucky and across the U.S., particularly in the South.
Lexington on Thursday reported 117 new cases of COVID as health officials warned the city is “on the cusp” of a new wave.
Musicians launching major tours recently announced changes: Garth Brooks said this week he would pause ticket sales for his stadium tour and Jason Isbell requested that fans coming to an “Austin City Limits Live” concert be vaccinated and masked.
The Lollapalooza music festival recently held in Chicago required its 385,000 fans to show proof of vaccination. But public health experts have still called the event “a recipe for disaster” and some have called for large gatherings to be put on hold.
So far, Railbird has not announced any changes to its lineup of musical acts, which includes Isbell as well as headliners My Morning Jacket, Leon Bridges and the Dave Matthews Band.
On social media and in an email sent out Friday morning, Railbird said fans are asked to bring masks but “at this time Railbird is not requiring masks be worn by fully vaccinated patrons in outdoor spaces at the festival.” Open-sided shade tents are considered outdoor spaces.
It’s unclear if fans will be asked to wear masks inside the bourbon and culinary experiences, which are scheduled to be indoors.
New Railbird music festival COVID requirements
Fans are asked to bring a printed copy of their COVID vaccine card or record or a printed copy of a negative COVID-19 test result with in the last 72 hours, showing the date of the test.
Fans also are asked to stay away if they have tested positive withing 14 days of the festival or been exposed to someone who has tested positive.
Railbird said that the polices and rules are subject to change and updated procedures will be posted on the web site, Railbirdfest.com.
What other music festivals are doing
Other festivals have implemented the same protocol this week, including RiotFest in Chicago and Sea Hear Now in New Jersey, both scheduled for September.
Chattanooga’s Moon River Festival, another AC Entertainment festival like Railbird, also announced the same protocol on Friday.
Bonnaroo, AC Entertainment’s biggest festival with around 80,000 attendees who camp in Manchester, Tenn., for up to five days, has yet announce any changes. But almost 1,000 fans have signed a Change.org petition asking for updated COVID protocols.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 11:05 AM.
