Red lights signal emergency for Northern Ireland’s live events sector

With no events taking place in the Province for the foreseeable future, and therefore no revenue for those involved in the sector, there is a very real danger of venues closing, companies going bust and jobs being lost.

There are around 7,500 people’s livelihoods invested in the Northern Ireland music sector, many of them freelance staff, and nearly 300,000 gig goers in Northern Ireland each year.

To raise awareness of the threat to arts, culture and live entertainment, to drive change, and ultimately to ask for government help, thousands of venues across 28 countries were lit red last night at 8pm.

In Northern Ireland the We Make Events NI group ensured 80 venues were lit up and another eight locations were fitted with lighting beams.

Sites included The Marketplace in Armagh, Belfast’s Grand Opera House and SSE Arena, The Riverside Theatre in Coleraine, Millennium Forum in Londonderry and The Atlantic Bar in Portrush.

In the latest Government aid announcement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said employers should bring staff back to work for at least 33% of their normal hours.

We Make Events NI points out that for the employers that have no current income, no consistent work and for an industry that has had seen almost zero revenue since March, paying any percentage of wages is simply not possible, leaving staff and freelancers with nothing.

On top of this the NI Executive have banned live music of any kind, resulting in the complete shut down of the sector.

Events producer Dino Cafolla said: “With the shutdown on live music in NI and no clear roadmap for the events sector to return, Northern Ireland’s businesses, vendors, workers and venues need real, meaningful help if they are not allowed to operate.

“Government need to talk now about how the businesses will survive, how we can avoid a drain of talent, and how we can get back to work safely.

“The way to do this is to engage with the industry professionals.”

A representative from the Waterfront and Ulster Halls, whose buildings were awash with red light on Wednesday evening, said: “Every year, 250,000 patrons are welcomed at just two of Northern Ireland’s most iconic venues.

“This leads to £20million in economic impact from incredible live entertainment and business events held here.

“These venues and our industry as a whole are crucial to the sustained economic development of Northern Ireland.”

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