APPLETON, Wis. (NBC 26) -- With new CDC guidance that relaxes masking, local event planners are confident some of the area's largest concerts and festivals can go on as normal this year.
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"The decisions that have been made by the CDC certainly give us more confidence that we're moving in the right direction for our industry," PMI Entertainment communications manager Terry Charles said.
The CDC announced this week that fully vaccinated people can go without a mask in most settings.
Charles says that's good news for events at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, where he says it's been tough to plan indoor concerts.
"Those [concerts] have to be at full capacity," Charles said. "They [artists] need to complete their tour, so it was that national unknown as to when those tours could happen."
Though masks are still required, Charles says he hopes indoor football at the Resch Center can expand its seating after the new health guidance.
"The Green Bay Blizzard has been operating at about 25-percent capacity," he said. "And they've been anxiously awaiting to increase that."
The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce has a set of large outdoor events planned for the fall. Chamber President Becky Bartoszek says the CDC recommendation is an incentive.
"Is it a game changer?... no," Bartoszek said. "We still need the people who are not vaccinated to go out and get vaccinated so that we can continue to have these events."
Elsewhere, Appleton's Octoberfest is set for Sept. 25. Bartoszek says social distancing will be nearly impossible. But with relaxed mask guidance, she says it'll help attendees grab a drink without as much worry.
"On a regular basis, [Octoberfest] brings in over 200,000 people," she said. "It would actually go from [Appleton's] downtown College Avenue to the border of Minnesota."
With other events that will bring thousands of people to the Fox Valley, Bartoszek says at the very least, the CDC's recommendations are a step in the right direction.
"The most important thing is that the events are as normal as we can make them and as safe as we can make them," Bartoszek said.
The Fox Cities Chamber is hosting its annual Bazaar After Dark in Neenah on July 28. License to Cruise follows in Appleton on Sept. 24.
In the Green Bay area, the Resch is currently hosting Blizzard indoor football games. The venue is scheduled to bring in its first indoor concert on Sept. 18 when Alan Jackson comes to town.
According to non-profit Downtown Green Bay, Inc., theannual Farmers Market on Broadwayis set to begin as normal on May 26. Coordinators say there will be social distancing between vendor booths, but there will be no COVID-mitigation requirements for customers and attendees.
