The lifeblood of the festival, though, is arguably dance music, with the BPM of stages including The Valley – which has excellent production values, modelled like a block of flats with a fake ad billboard for dystopian food gels declaring “food is boring” – or The Temple soaring throughout each of the two days for a baby-faced, happy crowd. This year’s edition boasts one of the UK’s most ambitious lineups, mixing blockbuster international acts such as Burna Boy and Megan Thee Stallion with domestic talent in the form of Dave, the soulful sounds of Celeste, on-the-rise acts such as Shygirl and pop favourites Mabel. After all, why should they? Their lives won’t be affected.H osting 80,000 rain-resistant punters each day, Parklife festival encapsulates the energy of Manchester as an enclave of rave. I simply think that no-one in the mayor’s office has bothered to think about the outcomes of their decisions.
To be clear, I do not think that these restrictions were aimed at the poorer people in society, neither do I think that there’s a viciousness to it. Of course, that’s been true throughout the localised lockdown periods in Bogotá. They’ve not been discounted this time round, and last time those zones were centered in the south. Let’s not forget, either, the localised lockdowns.
Are we all making sacrifices for protection against the virus or are we allowing people to pay for an opt-out? But to go to the park and simply walk is to be discouraged, as you’re not useful to the economy. The message seems to be that the economically active are welcome to go out and carry on as before, even if it’s actually more likely to spread the virus. Neither is there discrimination at the door – no face check and no implied class barrier. Parks, on the other hand, are one of the few places all can access for free, where the activities within are also free.
Of course, these places are also only accessible to those that can pay for them. Again though, it’s for those that have the option for midweek jollies. Of course, bars and restaurants will be open Tues-Fri, which is good news. The one day the Parque Nacional tennis courts really open up in normal times? Sunday. Also, tennis is unsurprisingly practised a lot more by richer people than poorer in the first place. In a country where many people work hard for six days a week, that’s simply not possible for large swathes of society. So it’s fine to do your tennis practice midweek, if you’re lucky enough to do the sort of job that allows you time to do so. The parks are only closed at the weekend, too. They’ll be far less pleasant, and far more likely to potentially spread the virus. Those gatherings now will likely still take place, but indoors - even though any form of gathering is frowned upon right now. For those in cramped accommodation, the parks provide a critical venue for large gatherings. It overlooks, though, the fact that the parks of Bogotá are not used in the same way by all. P arks, closing affects everyone equally, sure.
PARKLIFE SORT FREE
Equally, we’re not all in the same position when it comes to our free time. Specifically, municipal parks.Īt the crux of the problem is this: while the restrictions might have been the same for everyone, we all have different resources with which to deal with it. Previous lockdowns have restricted access to public spaces that are vital outlets for many. It certainly looks that way on paper, but dig a little deeper and one turns up some unsettling problems. The new restrictions coming into place this weekend are touted as affecting everyone equally. Let’s hope Bogotá parks don’t close again as the city tries to minimise the damage of a third spike. The capital’s restrictions don’t affect everyone the same way.
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