Tag Archives: Give Us The Night

This afternoon.

Give Us The Night is an ‘independent volunteer group of professionals operating within the night-time industry’.

Buzz writes:

‘Irish venues, nightclubs and music events are being disregarded, and more closures are certain if this continues. We wrote to Micheal Martin, Leo Varadkar and Catherine Martin, laying out a range of necessary measures to help our industry reopen safely and swiftly.’

1. A guarantee of non-socially distanced trial events in September irrespective of COVID-19 case numbers.

2. A lifting of the ban on dancing at all live events (indoors and outdoors), to take effect as soon as possible.

3. A lifting of the ban on live and loud music.

4. The significant expansion of public testing services, to offer a range of free PCR and antigen tests for the public, ensuring increased safety against any possible outbreaks of COVID-19 at events.

5. A starting date for all live events (with the removal of social distancing) including music venues and nightclubs, no later than the beginning of October.

6. Licensing law reform (announced in February) to be advanced as a matter of urgency to meet the needs of heavily challenged night-time venues after they reopen.

7. In the intervening time, reinstatement of ‘late’ opening should happen as soon as possible to create much-needed staggered closing between restaurants, bars and venues, putting less pressure on public transport and increasing public safety. We reject the idea of nightclubs having to become fully-fledged pubs with table service in order to do business. This is not an option for most nightclubs, whose market is post-midnight.

8. Special exemption order fees to be waived entirely for venues currently in possession of a dance licence. This will help these venues as they recover from the last 17 months of shutdown, while entering a new period in time when business will be very unpredictable.

9. Assurance that events and venues will not have to close immediately if COVID-19 case numbers rise in the future. Closures should be an absolute last resort. A tiered scaling back on numbers and closing times, and reintroduction of social distancing, should be explored before any blanket closures.

10. Acknowledgement from the Government that a continued shutdown of events and entertainment venues will result in an upsurge of unregulated events, increasing the chance of the virus spreading this winter. Last winter became house party season, a trend that is becoming an ongoing threat to the entertainment and hospitality industries that may lead to an increased cultural shift over the next year, and further issues in residential areas.

11. Government funded training for event and venue staff to deal with the challenges of enforcing COVID-19 regulations.

12. Clear direction to be given to indoor music venues on ventilation. A grant scheme to aid the cost and installation of required systems should be established.

13. Local authorities to assist venues by permitting the use of adjoining or nearby outdoor space for events. Consideration should also be given to erect weather-friendly marquees and tents in selected areas, diversifying the range of locations that can be used in the evening and at night, and empowering local event organisers to plan ahead with more certainty.

Will no one think about the unvaxxed ‘reveller’?

FIGHT!

Give Us The Night

Give Us The Night.

Is a new campaign group seeking “positive changes to nightlife in Ireland with particular regard to music venues”.

They’re campaigning for more cultural spaces to be used as night venues, graduated closing times, 6am closing times in some music venues, 24-hour public transport, and the establishment of ‘night mayors’…

The group has just released its mandate which sez:

Countries around the world are experiencing the benefits of a healthy night-time economy. The commonly recognised timeframe of activity in this sector is 6pm – 6am.

This involves music venues, bars, restaurants, spectator sporting events, cinemas, theatres, shops, transport companies, and various other forms of hospitality.

Our nearest neighbour, the UK, values its night-time economy at £66 billion per year.

It is impossible however, to measure the night-time economy’s worth in Ireland, given the heavy restrictions placed on night-time businesses.

To achieve growth in the night-time industry, a complete rethink of our licensing laws and structure around them needs to take place.

There is a lack of clarity running through the licensing system in Ireland, with regulations that can vastly differ from county to county.

Unlike our European counterparts, Ireland lacks a specific set of decision-makers in relation to night-time events and licensing, with limited initiatives in place to enhance the night-time economy.

As a starting point, Give Us The Night (GUTN) believe that a night-time commission/advisory group should be established in each major city as soon as possible.

These groups can provide expert knowledge as well as recommendations on the local night-time economy, based on a range of research and consumer feedback.

GUTN welcome the establishment of a Night Mayor (Maor Oíche) in each major city. A Night Mayor (or equivalent individual such as ‘Night Czar’ or ‘Night-Time Economy Advisor’) has been established in cities across the world including London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and New York to great effect.

A Night Mayor can act as a liaison between stakeholders in the night-time industry. The Night Mayor would work alongside the Lord Mayor of that city, the city council, An Garda Síochána, venue operators, and event programmers.

GUTN also believe that the formation of licensing boards within city and county councils would aid the work of the Night Mayor, or alternatively work as stand-alone groups in areas where no Night Mayor exists.

Councils could establish these groups to provide more time, fairness and transparency to licensing application decisions.

This would also devolve more power to local authorities, to make decisions related to their own specific night-time economy.

There could also be a fresh approach to granting occasional licences for one-off music and cultural events of all sizes.

With a growing festival market, we feel that some of these events could provide an opportunity to test extended opening hours in suitable areas on a pilot scheme basis.

Read GUTN’s mandate in full here

Give Us The Night