The Grec festival in Barcelona, ??Vilanova i la Geltrú, the Embassa’t in Sabadell and Primavera Sound in Madrid are some of the events that have already been affected in recent days and weeks due to adverse weather conditions. In some cases, this has resulted in schedule changes delaying the performances in order to guarantee everyone’s safety and, in others, in cancellations due to risk. Climate change and the forecast that this year the usual summer showers in the second half of August could extend throughout the entire month means that the threat of some shows that have gone through the water looms over promoters and spectators.
The inauguration of the 47th edition of the Grec, on June 29, had to be suspended due to rain half an hour after the start of the show The pulse, by the Australian circus company Gravity
“Every year some function is threatened” says Esteve Caramés, director of cultural programs at Icub. If the downpour allows the show to continue, capelinas are distributed among the public and, if not, an attempt is made to reschedule before canceling. The festival has contracted an insurance to cover the expenses derived from the cancellation: the return of the amount of the entrance or the cache of the artists.
A few days ago, the Grec added a second cancellation to that of The pulse: the first of the two performances by the choreographer Sasha Waltz, the one on Wednesday, July 5. Only the prelude with electronic music was seen, for around half an hour, but the body of the work where the dancers dance Beethoven’s Seventh was not carried out so that the drops would not deteriorate the instruments of the Liceu Orchestra. That meant that the next day, in order not to risk it, the order was reversed: they started with the orchestral part and left the electronics for last.
“People empathize a lot with the situation,” says Esteve Caramés to thank them for their patience. El Grec is “the only open-air theater in Barcelona” and for this reason the organization is not considering covering it (even partially) or changing its space. “At the Roger Mas concert, the audience endured and it was beautiful”, says Caramés, recalling the artist’s time at the last edition of the festival. Roger Mas remembers it with suffering and stress: “They wanted to cancel, but I had been working on it for about a year.” In the end, they were able to do it and the attendees keep a beautiful memory. “You could hear the raindrops hitting the raincoats,” adds the singer-songwriter.
What are the rights of viewers? In case of total cancellation, they have to return the money for the ticket but, once the show has started, it is more difficult because the law does not regulate after how many minutes it can be considered that the show has not taken place. There is talk as cause for return of the “substantial modification of the work” but as long as it is not “for reasons majeure” and with the function started. The reality is that it depends a lot on each case, on the will of the promoters and on the possibilities they have to offer tickets on other days.
Primavera Sound in Madrid canceled the entire first day of concerts due to rain forecasts. The vast majority of promoters are used to this type of situation, they are aware that outdoor concerts depend on the weather and have protocols for the unforeseen. In places like Glastonbury (England), it is common to see that its festival at the end of June is held in the rain and with a muddy public, but in southern Europe there is not the same tolerance for water or such prepared equipment.
Sergio Solis, vice president of ARC (Professional Association of Representatives, Promoters and Managers of Catalonia), stresses the importance of doing shows on covered stages to protect the electrical part: “It is the only measure to avoid having to cancel.” This type of structure increases the expense and its construction means that an architect has to certify that it is safe and that it will resist water and wind. “The wind scares me a lot,” says Solis, recalling the last edition of the Medusa Festival (Valencia) that ended with one death. ARC’s manager, Albert Mas, stresses the importance of contracting insurers to take care of damages. He also adds that “city councils have to understand the importance of signing a contract and the obligations that it entails.” According to Albert Mas, many municipalities do not take out insurance and “when the service cannot be offered, they do not pay”.
The association of musicians of Catalonia, Musicat, has tools to protect itself against the lack of contractual regulation. They work together with ARC to define clauses that protect musicians. “ARC’s model even proposes that a first payment be made in advance,” says Jordi Reig, president of Musicat. According to him, musicians are not used to getting paid when a council cancels their concert due to weather conditions: “They tell us: ‘If they haven’t come, why do we have to pay them?'”.
Those who are very clear about how to live with the rain are the great Catalan festivals. “We have very complete insurance that covers almost everything, even theft,” says Dani Puveda, director of the Vida Festival. “If it rains a lot, we return the money and, if there is no danger, we distribute capes to everyone,” explains Sergi Rosselló, director of the Porta Ferrada Festival. Porta Ferrada, Vida, Cap Roig and Embassa’t are examples of festivals that have everything planned with good insurance. “The first thing is safety”, remarks Juli Guiu, who has been in charge of Cap Roig for years and now also of Les Nits de Barcelona. Arnau Solsona remembers that he survived the rain without canceling anything in this year’s edition of Embassa’t.
The tendency is for the rains to become more and more intense and less predictable and that causes the insurance policies to rise in price. They are in charge of covering the expenses establishing criteria that vary in each show. According to Dionís Aymar, CEO of the Araytor insurance company, the most important thing is “not to compromise the safety of artists, technicians, workers or the public” and, after a storm, the space must be readapted to make it safe. According to him, it is not usual for town halls to insure shows.
“Storms in summer are common,” says meteorologist Alfred Rodríguez Picó, from Taiko Meteorologia. “What is extraordinary is that now the phenomena are more intense and that is a consequence of global warming.” A particularly rainy summer is expected and the difficulty of forecasting showers makes organizations and the public uneasy. Companies like Taiko offer weather forecasting services and work for festivals, private promoters, the public sector and individuals. Rodríguez Picó recalls that 2018 was especially stormy and undermines what is expected this year with the example of the Gràcia festivities in Barcelona, ??“where rain is a classic”.
