Tuesday night (September 22, 2020), live event venues across Canada will light up their buildings and marquees in red for a Day of Visibility For The Live Event Community to raise awareness that the music and arts industry remains dark due to COVID-19.
Venues and buildings will be lit red one hour after sundown and photos and video will be shared on social media using the hashtag #LightUpLive.
According to Statistics Canada, the arts, entertainment and recreation industries lost 152,000 of 486,100 jobs in the last year. Local concert venues such as The Royal Theatre, McPherson Playhouse, Capital Ballroom, Distrikt, Upstairs Cabaret, Lucky Bar, The Duke Saloon, Alix Goolden Hall and more have been mostly closed since March due to COVID-19 restrictions set by health officials.
The Day of Visibility For The Live Event Community is organized by the Live Event Community group that formed in March to support Canadian live event workers who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This grassroots movement has seemed to catch fire,” said Live Event Community co-founder Morgan Myler.
The Live Event Community Group’s goals are:
– For the government to recognize the industry has been devastated by the effects of COVID-19, and there is no set date for return. The live entertainment industry was the first out and will be the last to return.
– For workers to receive continued financial support until the industry returns to normal.
– Assistance for companies throughout the supply chain who work to create, produce, manufacture and support the live event industry.
Participating venues and buildings can be found on a map at the event’s website lightuplive.ca
