‘The show must go on’: Big Concerts announce full capacity arena and stadium tours

South Africans woke up to the news on Thursday morning that mask wearing is a thing of the past, as Health Minister Joe Phaahla repealed all Covid-19 regulations late on Wednesday evening.

This not only means that South Africans are no longer required to wear masks anywhere – whether it be indoors or outdoors, but also that the limitations on gatherings have been lifted.

The scrapping of all Covid-19 regulations is a relief, especially for the entertainment industry who’ve been hardest hit by the limitations on gatherings.

In August 2021, CEO of Big Concerts Justin van Wyk told The Citizen that at least 800 000 people in the entertainment industry lost their livelihoods due to the strict lockdown regulations imposed by the South African government.

On Thursday afternoon van Wyk announced in a statement that Big Concerts will be resuming full capacity arena and stadium tours with immediate effect.

“This important development sets us on the path to economic recovery. South African music lovers cautious about attending large concerts can now attend live shows with full confidence that the shows will happen, and that the environment will be safe,” the statement read.

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He added that while mask wearing and presentation of vaccine certificates or negative COVID tests are no longer mandatory to enter any venues, they will leave those decisions to the individual concert goer, but strongly encourage vulnerable people and those with underlying medical conditions to take appropriate health precautions.

He also said that now that venue capacity is back to 100%, more tickets will be made available for the confirmed international tours for 2022, which includes Justin Bieber, Foreigner, David Gray, The Lumineers and OneRepublic.

International acts coming to South Africa in 2022:

Justin Bieber: Justice World Tour

• 28 September, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
• 1 October, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg

Foreigner

• 9 October at the SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria
• 11 October at the Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town

OneRepublic

• 15 November at the Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town
• 18 November at the SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria
• 19 November at the SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria

The Lumineers: Brightside World Tour

• 30 November at the Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town
• 2 December at the SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria

David Gray: White Ladder: The 20^th Anniversary Tour

• 1 December at the Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town
• 3 December at the SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria