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Wireless and Latitude festivals are expected to go ahead this summer as long as coronavirus restrictions are lifted on June 21.
Festival Republic boss Melvin Boss has said that both events, which are due to take place on July 2-4 in London and July 22-25 in Suffolk, will go ahead if the roadmap out of lockdown goes ahead as planned.
Cancellation insurance has been provided for both events, but the positive update comes 24 hours after Festival Republic confirmed that Reading & Leeds festivals will go ahead this summer.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s PM Programme, Benn said: “The one thing that we can say about the Prime Minister is that in terms of the vaccination rollout, almost unique in the world, he has got it right.
“And I applaud him for that, and I am going to hold his feet to the fire on it. And I think there’s going to be 200,000 young people holding his feet to the fire on that position as well.
“We see the numbers daily, it looks like everybody would have received a first vaccine by June 21, very comfortably, it looks like everybody would have received the second vaccine on the numbers that are being projected by August 9. Reading and Leeds Festival are three weeks later than that.
“I’ve got every expectation that the Prime Minister will deliver on his word. He’s running the country, he’s got every resource in the country available to him, and I’m willing to accept his word.”
Benn delivered the positive update on Reading & Leeds after he was asked if he had cancellation insurance for the events – which are set to take place across the August Bank Holiday weekend.
“No we haven’t, and that’s something that we’ve pressed the Government on. And actually I’ve got events that I haven’t pushed in advance of Reading and Leeds Festival,” he said. “I’ve got events that I’m hoping that I’ll be able to do in Finsbury Park for instance in early July [Wireless], I’ve got Latitude Festival in the middle of July.
“And the timing between June 21 and July 3 and 4, the timing between June 21 and Latitude on July 20 – that’s too tight without insurance.
“And Reading and Leeds is too tight without insurance, but if June 21 comes along and the Prime Minister says I’m afraid everything’s off, the wheels have come off, and you can’t have your events, I would still then have enough time to cancel Reading and Leeds without undue cost.”
Benn also said crowds attending the events are likely to be asked to show an NHS app that will confirm they have receive a Covid-19 vaccine or be tested so they can carry a Covid-free status.
Latitude is expected to take in headline sets from the likes of Bastille and Lewis Capaldi, while Wireless is yet to unveil its 2021 line-up.
Reading & Leeds, meanwhile, will take in headline performances from the likes of Liam Gallagher, Stormzy, Post Malone, Catfish & The Bottlemen and Queens of The Stone Age.
It comes after the government confirmed that they will “aim to remove all legal limits on social contact” by June 21. Before that, outdoor hospitality, such as pubs and outdoor dining, could reopen on April 12, with indoor hospitality following on May 17.
The latter date is also the first point where live events could return, however, limited capacities and social distancing may still be required. After June 21, all other restrictions should be removed – however, the roadmap is contingent on vaccinations going to plan, COVID-19 variants not causing new problems, and the infection rate lowering.
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