In 2020, it was eight years since my team and I decided to dedicate ourselves entirely to the Romanian cultural industry, through the Jazz in the Park festival. I said from the beginning that if we do not fully dedicate ourselves to this goal, we cannot do a good job. The confirmation that we made a good decision also came at the beginning of 2020, when Jazz in the Park was named Best Small Festival in Europe.
2020 looked promising. We were very confident, but then came the pandemic. We did not accept our condition for a second and we did everything we could to be useful to the community to which we promised something eight years ago. We started with a large fundraising campaign for hospitals (Un Singur Cluj) and then we continued to create content in one way or another. We even started a new festival in the Ethnographic Park. All our efforts have helped us morally, but, unfortunately, it is not enough. Because only in the second part of the year did we feel, as people earning a living in this business, the financial impact the pandemic had on us. But the fight is not over. We believe too much in what we do to simply stop. For this reason, we have adapted the festival to a format in which it can take place.
This year, Jazz in the Park will have ticket-access for two main reasons. The first is that, anticipating events with limited access, we want a commitment from the people who make a reservation for the event. The second reason is that the event is much more expensive now. The money we get from the tickets will help us build an even better festival and get more involved in the community through special programs.
When we return to Central Park, access will be free again. Obviously, there will be the non-mandatory tickets we’ve been used to for five years.
But until it all gets back to normal, we recommend everyone to support culture. Participate in your favorite events and support the artists you like. A year break has affected all of us a lot, and another year of restrictions may be too harmful for some.
