Big Worcester Music Festival Will Require Vaccine Proof

WORCESTER, MA — Perhaps the biggest single music event since the coronavirus pandemic began will come to Worcester Labor Day weekend, and organizers say all attendees will have to show either proof of vaccine or a negative test result.

The Sad Summer Music Festival, which will feature a lineup of pop-punk and rock bands, will be held Sept. 4 at the Worcester Palladium. The festival will take over Exchange Street in addition to the Palladium's existing outdoor event space behind the building. There will also be a separate after-party that begins at 10 p.m.

Gina Migliozzi, the Palladium's chief financial officer, told the Worcester License Commission on Monday that the bands appearing at the festival are requiring all fans — and staff working the event — to show a vaccine card or a negative test result that was taken within 24 hours.

Massachusetts does not require proof of vaccine to attend events, but many private businesses, including restaurants, bars and venues across the state, have the requirement in place.

The Gateway City Arts venue in Holyoke, which hosts touring and local musicians, is requiring proof of vaccine, and does not accept negative tests as an alternative. The Middle East and The Sinclair in Cambridge and The Royale in Boston are also requiring vaccine proof.

Worcester's largest venues, Polar Park and the DCU Center, do not require vaccine proof, and do not require masking. The Worcester Art Museum earlier this month reinstated its mask mandate, unless visitors can prove they've been inoculated.

The Worcester License Commissioners on Monday also questioned organizers of the Worcester Caribbean American Carnival, which will happen along Main Street on Aug. 29, about coronavirus safety. That event could host up to 2,000 people, but will not require vaccine proof. Organizers say many people will be wearing masks, and AIDS Project Worcester will be there offering vaccines.