Live venues, bars and nightclubs across Cork gearing up for the Jazz Festival this weekend are still waiting on new guidelines to be issued for their sector later.
Multiple bookings are expected to be allowed while socially distanced queues will be permitted at bar counters.
The Taoiseach says the updated guidance will be 'practical' and based on common sense.
Festival organisers say the Guinness Jazz Festival - the first big festival in Ireland in over 18 months - will operate in strict accordance with the latest Government guidelines,
Cork City Chairman of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland Michael O'Donovan says the trade was left reeling on Tuesday when it was confirmed that mandatory table service must continue in bars until next year
Speaking to RedFM News Michael O'Donovan who owns the Castle Inn says publicans have ordered stock, booked bands and hired staff and are hopeful that the public will support them over the Jazz weekend:
"We still have to await guidelines to be issued which, you know, it's not a great scenario to be in, but you know to be prudent I suppose people will plan around table service nor bar counters to be used. We have to hope that the public will work with us on this that will plan itself. And look, hopefully people will still have a very enjoyable weekend and they'll still get out and about and socialise, because I think it's important for jobs, and for pubs and restaurants across hospitality that people do a commotion support local this weekend."
The Jazz Festival is now in its 43rd year and will take place throughout the county from tomorrow, Friday the 22nd to Monday the 25th of October.
Every year Cork draws in the best of Irish and European talent with headline acts include Yasiin Bey, Matthew Halsall, James Vincent McMorrow, Mas Exodus, Mark Copland, Denise Chaila and the X Collective.
If you don’t have tickets to any events yet, don’t worry, the Big Fringe is where some of the more unexpected things happen and the Cork Jazz Festival Committee have announced a packed programme of (mostly) FREE events.
All events will take place across Cork, and in Kinsale as part of the Guinness Kinsale Jazz Fringe Festival.
As always over the Bank Holiday Weekend the streets of Cork are set to come alive with the sounds of jazz and big brass bands.
Beat on the Street will see visiting international bands tour through the city as part of the Beat on the Street and also perform on the super dome stage at Emmet Place as part of Jazz on the Plaza.
Some of these include: New York Brass, Hyde Park Brass Band, Brass Kings, TBL8 Brass, Stomptown Brass along with Cork’s own Code of Behaviour, Rebel Brass, the Barrack Street Band and Blarney Concert Band.
Festival goers can also avail of the annually curated and mapped Guinness Music Trail which this year will see more than 60 venues across Cork City, Douglas and Kinsale host a variety of jazz acts from across Ireland and beyond.
For more on the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival 2021 see GuinnessJazzfestival.com
