Despite pandemic, special events make a return

A slate of cancellations in March 2020 was one of the first major signs of the effects COVID-19 would have on Sarasota.

Now, after 11 months of restrictions, the city has reopened the application process for special events, and outdoor gatherings could resume next month.

Various outdoor events have been ongoing in Sarasota since last summer. The Sarasota Farmers Market reopened in August, and the county has given the go-ahead to events including the Siesta Fiesta art festival in October. But the city had been a holdout in the region, initially announcing that it would not issue event permits until April at the earliest.

The city has since revised that policy, deciding it will consider permit applications for events taking place after Feb. 10. That could allow the Downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts, set for Feb. 13 and 14 on Main Street, to go on as scheduled.

The change represents another loosening of temporary regulations put in place last year as a public health precaution at the outset of the pandemic. With COVID-19 still present in the community at higher rates than it was at times last year, both the city and organizers say safety continues to be a priority, reorienting events to allow for social distancing and other protective measures for those in attendance.

Although the city has not issued any permits for events yet, Auditoriums Manager Debbie Perez said applications are coming in, and organizers are eager to resume activity.

“They’re excited,” Perez said. “They want to be back.”

Events might go on, but the city has added at least one major precaution to the application process because of COVID-19: Event organizers must submit a safety plan that the city’s event manager must review. There are no hard-and-fast guidelines the city is placing on events, instead relying on organizers to take the lead on developing a suitable strategy.

“Each event is so different, the sponsor has to be the one to come up with the perfect plan,” Perez said.

Howard Alan, whose company, Howard Alan Events, organizes the Downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts, said his team has become experienced in producing pandemic-era outdoor gatherings. Most recently, it produced the Uptown ArtFair in Naples. Precautions included a mask mandate, hand-washing stations, one-way walkways and a limit on the number of visitors.

Laura Burns, executive director of the United Arts Council of Collier County, sent a message to the company after the event with praise for their its and singling out the signage and messaging related to health guidelines.

“It was a very safe event,” Alan said. “It made it very comfortable for the patrons as well as the exhibitors.”

Alan said the response from the communities that have hosted events during the pandemic — including attendees, vendors and nearby businesses — has been positive. In addition to the safety precautions, the outdoor nature of the art shows provides comfort for people who are still averse to indoor gatherings because of COVID-19. And for business districts that have seen a decline in activity, any attraction that draws visitors is a welcome presence.

“People have been so cooped up, and they’ve got cabin fever,” Alan said. “We’re giving them a safe alternative. The other thing we’re doing is, the stores in downtown are not doing that great. They need traffic, and we’re creating the traffic that help creates some economic relief.”

Diana Corrigan, the executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, agreed with that perspective. That’s why the merchants group is working to get the city’s permission to host the annual St. Armands Circle Art Festival in April. To facilitate that request, the association has to get the City Commission to approve a waiver to a rule prohibiting events in St. Armands Circle Park during peak season.

Corrigan said the merchants association has already gotten an endorsement from the St. Armands Landowners, Merchants and Residents group, a sign that the entire community is supportive of measures that will benefits that have struggled during the pandemic.

“The foot traffic that those events bring generates sales for our stores, for our restaurants,” Corrigan said.

Like Alan, Corrigan said health would be a priority as the Circle developed plans for its art show.

“We’re doing everything we possibly can to keep people safe and give them a feeling of safety while still trying to enjoy some sense of normalcy in their life,” Corrigan said.

Perez said a few other applications for events have come into the city, including a spring fine arts show on Gulfstream Avenue and a St. Patrick’s Day event on Lemon Avenue. In a previous interview, City Manager Marlon Brown said the city would continue to monitor the COVID-19 positivity rate and observe CDC guidelines as it considers temporary coronavirus regulations. As of Tuesday, the local seven-day COVID-19 testing positivity rate in Sarasota County was 6.1%, down from above 8% earlier in the month.

Although the city is entering a new phase of the pandemic, Perez is optimistic that event operators and sponsors will be responsible.

“I don’t truly know what we’re going to run into, but I think our sponsors are going to be so happy to have the chance to get back that they’re going do due diligence,” Perez said.

Alan, meanwhile, is confident that his company’s experience has prepared them to safely handle pandemic events.

“We’ve learned how to do this,” he said. “We’re not experimenting. We have a program that works.”