Leading U.S. independent festival promoter and producer Danny Wimmer Presents has announced that several of its festivals this fall — including Louder Than Life, Aftershock and Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival — will require full vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test to attend the events.
Wimmer shared the news in a social media post on Wednesday (August 11). He wrote: “We are at an unprecedented crossroads with uncertainty about whether or not our festivals will happen this Fall. It is not my nature to idly sit back and let others decide our fate. Instead, I am going to do everything in my power to ensure that our festivals happen, even if that means enacting policies that some people may not agree with. But before you react negatively to our policy, please consider this. What I see is that the fans feel the world needs music festivals now more than ever. We need to bring people back together to heal from the past 18 months. We need to get the people and artists whose livelihoods depend on live events back to work. I am confident that these requirements are what is needed to guarantee that we have fun and safe festivals this Fall.”
Several hard rock and heavy metal artists have canceled shows or whole tours as the concert industry is rethinking its approach to live shows while the delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading nationwide.
Since 1995, music industry veteran Danny Wimmer has been producing concerts and festivals, both large and small. In 2011, he formed Danny Wimmer Presents, which now produces several of the largest rock and alternative festivals in the U.S. By combining A-list talent with local cuisine and culture, DWP has become recognized within the industry for delivering the highest-quality entertainment experiences to fans, artists, sponsors, partners and host cities. DWP creates memorable and all-encompassing festival experiences, leaving both consumers and partners with lasting and meaningful impressions. DWP will continue to add new music festivals to its already stellar portfolio, which currently includes Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, Epicenter, Hometown Rising, Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival and Welcome To Rockville. Previous DWP festivals include Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion and more. In 2020, DWP launched the popular digital series “Offstage With DWP” and “Beyond The Barrel”, and ventured into the digital content curation space, promoting pay-per-view livestreams.