While we were all itching to get back on the dancefloor, many promoters began hosting drive-in raves to benefit charities as well as all of our well beings. In July, The Chainsmokers hosted one of New York State’s first drive-in raves in a town called Southampton in Long Island. During the quarantine period, New York was one of the states that was hit hardest by COVID-19. To host this size event right as things started looking up upset a lot of people.
Tickets for the event ranged from a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars for a car spot to see The Chainsmokers perform with all proceeds going to charity. Shortly following the event, videos of the event came to light where attendees flooded the front of the stage without social distancing. New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo, tweeted his disgust for the lack of safety precaution taken for this event and promised that there would be an investigation claiming that “there will be no tolerance for illegal and reckless endangerment of public health.”
In a tweet this afternoon, Cuomo announced that the promoters of the event will be fined $20,000 for violating public health law. In addition, the town of Southampton will no longer be able to approve permits for group gatherings without State’s review.
We can’t wait for the day we can return to concerts without fear of the virus of huge government fines. You can check out the video of the event below as well as Cuomo’s announcement.