Radio City Music Hall to reopen next month to vaccinated audiences

Famed New York venue Radio City Music Hall is set to reopen next month, hosting max capacity audiences who have been fully vaccinated.

Opening night is slated for June 19, coinciding with the final evening of the Tribeca Festival, with the show still to be announced. Ticketholders will not be required to wear masks.

Governor Andrew Cuomo made the announcement last week (May 17) at a conference held inside the music hall.

“Having Radio City back at 100 per cent, without masks, with people enjoying New York, and the New York arts, is going to be not only symbolic and metaphoric; but I think it’s going to go a long way toward bringing back this state.”

James Dolan, executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Company, which owns Radio City Music Hall, confirmed the venue is set to remain open and operate as usual beyond June 19. However, the rules of how vaccinations will be monitored are still unclear.

“That’s a really good question, I have no idea,” Dolan replied. “We will be working with the state, and we will figure out a way for it to happen.”

New York has seen a steady decline of coronavirus cases recently but the state has still been averaging 1,864 cases per day, according to The New York Times. Roughly 43 per cent of New York state’s residents have been vaccinated, and over half the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The state has also been trialling the use of a new app, titled Excelsior Pass, which shares vaccination and negative test results with high-traffic venues and businesses by use of a QR code. This includes major stadiums and arenas, arts and entertainment venues, wedding receptions and catered events.

The app was tested earlier this year in Barclays Centre during a Brooklyn Nets game on February 27 and then again on March 2 at a New York Rangers game in Madison Square Garden.

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