WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Bowser announced Friday a pilot that will allow a limited number of venues to host live entertainment.
The pilot creates an opportunity to resume live entertainment in a controlled environment that can be scaled up or down and that District officials can learn from for future guidance.
The six venues that are invited to participate in the pilot include: City Winery, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Pearl Street Warehouse, The Kennedy Center, The Hamilton, and Union Stage.
According to District officials, any participating venues are required to submit and execute detailed plans for operating and will be monitored closely by the District. The pilot will go through 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 30.
During the pilot period, the District will not be accepting waiver applications from any other venues.
In addition to the pilot, limited to the six venues, the District is inviting operators of outdoor entertainment venues who have already submitted plans to the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency through its waiver process to review the criteria for hosting live entertainment and resubmit their plans.
The organizations that have been invited to resubmit plans for outdoor entertainment include:
- Adams Morgan Partnership BID
- Arena Stage
- Busboys and Poets
- Capitol Riverfront BID
- District Wharf, Et Voila Restaurant
- Heist Group at the Kennedy Center
- The Bullpen
According to a release obtained by WUSA9, the criteria require that venues must abide by include:
- Sell or distribute tickets in advance of the event;
- Have a maximum of fifty (50) persons, including attendees, performers, staff, and all other persons in the venue;
- Reserve seating with individuals or groups (of no more than six (6) persons) seated at least six (6) feet apart;
- Place seats at least 30 ft. from the stage if there is live singing; otherwise, the seats must be placed at least 20 ft. from the stage;
- Require that guests remain seated during the performance, only leaving as necessary;
- Ensure good ventilation;
- Clean the venue and restrooms in accordance with your plan;
- Maintain a one-way flow of attendees and staff;
- Enforce that, if indoors, the performance must be less than three (3) hours in duration;
- Require the performers to be at least six (6) feet apart and wear masks when not performing;
- Inform employees of the COVID-19 protocols put in place, including a mask or face covering policy and any applicable leave policies;
- Maintain records of all individuals who are in the building during the event;
- Follow all requirements for food retail operations in the District;
- Post signage of mask or face covering guidelines and physical guides or signs of social distancing policies; and
- Inform any individual who is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 to not attend the event.
As D.C. moved into Phase 2, venues were permitted to apply for waivers as health officials continued to monitor the District’s public health conditions.
All venues included in the pilot, whether hosting indoor or outdoor entertainment, will be required to strictly adhere to Phase 2 health and safety guidelines, as listed by the D.C. Department of Health.