Coronavirus DK: Drive-in culture and color-coded hookups

The warnings didn’t work. In a press conference yesterday, Copenhagen’s Police Chief Anne Tønnes said the police were issuing a ban on gatherings in the waterfront lawns (DK) in the Islands Brygge neighborhood in Copenhagen. She reported that around 200 young people partied in the area the night before in an “inappropriate” manner despite clear warnings not to do so. Now they will be given fines of DKK 2,500 (about $350) immediately and will be subject to higher penalties for repeated offenses. The ban extends until May 1. It does not prohibit people from walking through the area. This is the second case in which the police have issued a ban on gatherings in a particular area. The other applies to a shopping center on the small island of Romø.

A loud sitting ovation

People are finding ways of returning to normal activities again under new conditions. Musicians and other performers have been sidelined by the ban on large gatherings. Friday evening the singer Mads Langer held a concert at a drive-in movie theater (DK) outside Aarhus. The concert was arranged at short notice, with tickets for 500 cars sold out in a week. The sound was transmitted to cars on an FM radio frequency, and the attendees seemed to enjoy the music and the new experience. They honked their horns to applaud, ran their windshield wipers, and rocked the cars. The event took place at what they call P-scene (DK) at Tangkrogen by Aarhus Bay, and several other performances are scheduled in the coming weeks. 

Minister of Justice Nick Hækkerup says that it is a healthy sign that people are finding creative ways to hold cultural events. They are using drive-in theaters for experiences that otherwise wouldn’t be possible under the lockdown – concerts, church services, film and soccer transmissions. Nevertheless, the Justice Ministry wants to monitor such events so see that they take place under proper conditions. It has therefore announced that event arrangers must obtain advance permission (DK) from the police. The requirement extends through the summer.

Necessity is the mother

The Skyland Beach music festival (DK), which had been scheduled for two weeks in July, was canceled because of the lockdown. Three siblings whose parents have run camping grounds at Skyland and a friend are now working on a plan B that they hope the authorities will approve. They want to hold the event at the camping grounds with strict hygienic rules and facilities.

Camping grounds have been given permission to open if they maintain a distance between guests. The large camping grounds at Skyland can be divided up into areas with 500 people each, and the Pedersen siblings hope gatherings of that size will be allowed again by the time the festival will be held. They propose issuing armbands according to the area where participants are staying, and after the music stops in the evening, when the guests traditionally begin to mingle, they will be allowed to hug, kiss and so on only with those with the same color armband. That’s the proposal anyway. Security staff will be on hand to make sure that people follow the rules. If the Pedersens don’t get approval, they will resort to plan C, operating ordinary family camping grounds.