While 2021 began with the world still tipped on its head, there is a promise that relative normalcy is likely to return at some point. We have been living so long in this altered state now that something as simple as hugging a friend is likely to feel like a radical change once restrictions begin to lift.
Many of the things we used to take for granted were off the table for the last year. This year we can expect those things to flood back into our lives with great force. If last year we struggled with deprivation, this year we could face overstimulation. Here are some events that are likely to take place at a greater rate than ever before once permitted.
Weddings
While some people proceeded to have small socially distanced weddings in 2020, many others opted for postponement. If you thought getting the wedding venue you wanted in the past was difficult, you will likely find the struggle to be greater than ever.
Many people spend years dreaming about their wedding day and months planning it all out. They weren’t going to let 2020 ruin their dreams and force them into a small informal wedding if they had a grand event planned.
Of course, there were some people who were perfectly fine with having a small wedding and others who were left with no real choice because they had already spent far too much money and hadn’t purchased event cancellation insurance.
Still, the number of couples lined up and waiting for a return to the pre-pandemic days is long, and venues can expect to be fully booked. If you are hoping to get married this year, be prepared to find an unusual venue or be willing to settle for a weeknight wedding. Otherwise, you will likely find yourself stymied because you will have trouble getting the spot you want on the day you want.
Of course, many people will opt to push their wedding back into 2022 to avoid the pileup.
Concerts
Artists have been sitting at home this last year. Of course, this has been great for the making of new music. Without the busy schedule of touring, many musicians have spent the last year focusing on making new music, and there have already been plenty of new releases that have resulted from this course of action.
While many of us have enjoyed the flow of new content from our favorite artists, we have missed the ability to see them perform these new songs live. No concert venue should have trouble booking performers for the coming year. The only question they will face will be who to turn away.
More popular venues should find that they have top-notch acts every night. The smaller venues should find themselves booking performers they never would have imagined they could attract. The only people who will suffer from this are the new artists, desperately looking for somewhere that will let them play.
Comedy shows
Much like musicians, comedians have been stuck at home and will be anxious to get back on the road. You can expect to find comedy venues with a full slate of hit comedians. Many venues could even drop their two-drink minimum if they desired because audiences won’t need alcohol to laugh at the subpar performances of unfunny hopefuls. Instead, comedy nights will be packed with incredible lineups.
Reunions
You can expect a lot of 21-year reunions later this year. You might not see too many graduation parties held a year late. However, it is a little easier to push a reunion back a year and not feel like you are attending a sad attempt at a makeup event that doesn’t live up to what it would have been had it happened at the right time.
In addition to school reunions, there will likely be more family reunions held this year than anytime before. There will surely also be reunions for other groups that don’t usually tend to have reunions. People are going to be eager to see friends they have been missing for the past year.
Corporate events
There is likely to be a big boom in corporate events, held for a variety of reasons. There will be events celebrating employees and thanking them for their hard work in a difficult 2020. There will also be client appreciation events, allowing companies to reconnect in person with their client bases and show their thanks for the continued business throughout the pandemic.
There will also likely be many events to facilitate networking. These events will both focus on strengthening connections that already existed but have weakened during the pandemic, as well as establishing new contacts, which was difficult to do from isolation.
Birthday parties
There are likely to be two reasons for more venues getting booked for birthday parties in 2021. There will be some kids who missed milestone celebrations like bar and bat mitzvahs, quinceaneras, and sweet sixteens. Belated celebrations of these events are likely to take place for many kids.
There are also likely to be many parents who don’t necessarily throw their children huge birthday celebrations every year. These parents will want to make up for a subdued affair in 2020 by giving their kid a big blowout this year. That is likely to be the case for many adults as well, who decide to go bigger with their birthday this year than normal.
Book early
If you are hoping to hold an event later this year, you should begin contacting venues as early as possible. While many venues aren’t taking reservations at this time, until they have a firmer idea on when they may be able to reopen properly, contacting them now might not be a bad idea. You can ask if they have a waitlist that you can be added to so that when things do reopen back to normal, you aren’t already too late.
Share
Contributors
