The global pandemic shuttered the vast majority, if not basically all music venues over the past 11 months. Besides independent venues, even towns like Las Vegas, which owes $58.8 billion in economic output and 391,300 jobs (41.1 percent of total employment) to tourism, have felt the crushing defeat of the lack of entertainment options.
Vegas has already begun to open up, but it’s taking another step on March 3 when, at least, MGM Resorts will have Mandalay Bay, Park MGM and The Mirage open seven days a week. Casino floor capacity will increase from 35% to 50% on March 15.
“Indoor dining at restaurants and bars are capped at 35% capacity – but outdoor dining has no capacity limit,” writes Reno Gazette. “Reservations are no longer required, and the number of patrons allowed at a table has jumped from 4 to 6.”
“As we begin to see positive signs around the public’s sentiment about traveling, coupled with important progress on the vaccination front and decreasing COVID-19 case numbers, bringing Mandalay Bay, Park MGM and The Mirage back to full-week operations is an important step for us,” Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts’ CEO and president, said in a statement Wednesday. “We remain optimistic about Las Vegas’ recovery and our ability to bring employees back to work as business volumes allow us to do so.”
Caesars Palace’s OMNIA and MGM Grand’s Wet Republic are reopening in kind on March 5th. ARIA’s Liquid Pool Lounge will reopen a week later on March 12th.
So, does this give hope to Electric Daisy Carnival? Possibly, but not likely.
The differences between opening clubs and planning a full-scale festival are significant. The lineup usually comes out around this time in February, and sometimes even in March, so there is a chance. Though, this would assume that agents and managers were confident enough that it could happen in May to book their artists. If EDC were to plan for a fall event, the odds would be significantly higher. However, that brings up more questions as to whether they’d have another event in the regular May in 2022 or gradually roll it back earlier in the year over time to give themselves proper time to prepare for each event.
EDC Las Vegas 2021 sold out in August last year and dates for May 21-23 are still posted on their socials. If a lineup was to be shared, we’d be on the lookout for it in the next few weeks.
via Reno Gazette | Photo via Rukes.com
