Study Finds Less Risk of COVID-19 Contraction at Festivals Than General Population

NEW LONDON, N.H., June 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new survey showed that attendees of the Ubbi Dubbi Festival in Ennis, Texas showed no greater risk in contracting COVID-19. In fact, outdoor concertgoers posed slightly less risk than the general population of contracting COVID-19, findings showed.

The outcome survey assessment, was conducted through a partnership with JobSiteCare, the leading workforce health practice dedicated to employee health and safety, and legendary concert promoter “Disco” Donnie Estopinal of Disco Donnie Presents at the Ubbi Dubbi Festival, one of the U.S. music industry’s largest EDM festivals, which was held April 24-25^th in Ennis, Texas. Estopinal wanted to ensure a safe environment for the concert goers, so he partnered with JobSiteCare to conduct a third-party survey of attendees to track COVID-19 positivity rates after the festival. Findings showed that the overall COVID-19 positivity rate among respondents in the two weeks following the festival was 3.28 %, which is lower than the rate of new COVID-19 infections in Texas of approximately 4.3-4.4% during the same time period (April 24-25).

With approximately 30,000 festival attendees and an additional 900 employees and contractors, a convenience sample of more than 10,000 attendees and staff to complete a post-festival survey approximately two weeks after the conclusion of the festival regarding their experience as it related to health/safety and COVID-19. A total of 2,039 individuals completed surveys representing a response rate of 6.65%. Of the respondents, 2,001 were “Attendees” and 38 were “Employees” or “Contractors.”

Summary Conclusions:

All conclusions assume a representative sample of respondents.

The overall COVID-19 positivity rate among respondents in the two weeks following the festival was 3.28 %. This is lower than the current rate of new COVID-19 infections in Texas of approximately 3.5-4%.

The lack of any significant difference in either symptom development or COVID-19 positivity regardless of the length of time that festival attendees spent on site suggests:

That length of exposure in this setting did not increase risk of illness or infection and
That the setting itself did not pose a threat to overall public health.

Assuming a baseline population immunity (Vaccination + Recent Infection) of 39%, the prescreening process and safety protocols utilized seem to have reduced the risk of contracting COVID-19 to lower than that found in the general population.

Post Festival Findings (Descriptive)

Of the 2,039 respondents, 488 (23.93%) reported having undergone COVID-19 testing in the two weeks following the festival. Of this group, 16 were found to be positive for COVID-19, demonstrating a positivity rate of 3.28%. All of the positive cases were reportedly festival “Attendees” with no positive tests among those identified as “Employees” or “Contractors”:

“Donnie and his team took many measures to protect their fans,” said Dr. Dan Carlin, Founder & CEO of JobSiteCare. “From bigger bathrooms to ensure social distancing, to symptom screening, to having ‘COVID-19’ sniffing dogs, Donnie’s main goal was to ensure that people could get back to enjoying outdoor concerts and festivals, which present no more significant COVID-19 risk than other outdoor activities. As vaccines become more ubiquitous, we are starting to see the world open back up – and the data coming from this study shows that there was no evidence of elevated danger in contracting COVID-19 from an outdoor concert or festival.”

This survey was the first large scale survey of its kind and Donnie Disco Presents and JobSiteCare will continue to poll future concert attendees.

“The last year has been devastating to the entire entertainment ecosystem, especially events, concerts and festivals, with some estimates that show a loss of $30 billion for 2020,” said Disco Donnie. “Our mission was not only to get these artists and vendors back to work, but to create a safe environment for the fans who have missed out on so much in the last 18 months.”

Methodology:

JobSiteCare designed the post-hoc survey and conducted data analysis. Donnie Disco Presents emailed the survey via Google survey to a list of approximately 10,000 ticket buyers. The survey was open to respondents from May12-16, 2021. In that time, 2,039 individuals completed surveys representing a response rate of 6.65%. Of the respondents, 2,001 were “Attendees” and 38 were “Employees” or “Contractors.” By providing a completed survey, attendees were incentivized with a chance to win 4 VIP backstage tickets to Freaky Deaky 2021, an electronic dance music festival in October 2021 at Houston Raceway in Baytown, Texas.

772 (37.86%) individuals reported being fully vaccinated prior to attending the festival with an additional 22 (1.08%) reporting having been confirmed COVID-19 positive within the 90-day period prior to festival attendance. In total this represents 38.94% of respondents who had some form of immunity expected. A further 354 (17.36%) reported having been partially vaccinated prior to festival attendance.

About JobSiteCare
JobSiteCare is a physician-led medical practice centered around caring for injured workers. We provide immediate telemedical triage, diagnosis, and guided treatment right on the job site. Our physicians and staff manage the injured workers’ case from start to finish. We enable maximum medical improvement to be reached as quickly as possible while ensuring optimal Local/Federal OSHA compliance. In close collaboration with company management, JobSiteCare functions as an outsourced, full-service medical department for end-to-end medical care and total logistical support for ill and injured workers. At JobSiteCare we are on a mission to create safe workplaces and deliver great healthcare on the job.

For more information on JobSiteCare please contact:

Anne Donohoe
732-620-0033
[email protected]

Andrew Young
917-379-4824
[email protected]

About Disco Donnie Presents:

Disco Donnie Presents (DDP) is an award-winning and recognized leader in electronic dance music event production, founded by veteran promoter James "Disco" Donnie Estopinal. Since the company's inception in 1994, DDP has sold over 16 million tickets producing over 16,000 live events, arena shows, and outdoor festivals in over 100 markets around the world including the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Panama. Annually, DDP is responsible for organizing and promoting nearly 1,000 club events across the U.S. ranging from Portland, Columbus, Houston, Tampa, New Orleans, Dallas, and St. Louis to name only a few. He is also known for producing major festivals such as The Day After, Ultimate Music Experience, Sun City Music Festival, and most recently Ubbi Dubbi, Sunset Music Festival, Ember Shores, and Freaky Deaky.