[UPDATE 1/6/22, 5:30 p.m. ET]: Dead & Company and CID have announced that both weekends of Playing In The Sand 2022 have now been officially canceled. For more information on the last-minute cancellation, click here.
[12/27/21]: Dead & Company and CID Presents have heeded the calls of many would-be Playing In The Sand 2022 attendees and will now offer refunds for the two-part January 2022 destination event in Mexico as Omicron case numbers continue to spike worldwide.
Each of the two events will include an assortment of supporting acts in addition to three nights of Dead & Company, which features former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti. A representative from CID confirmed that the full band is due to appear for both weekends.
The decision to offer refunds comes on the heels of a cascade of late 2021/early 2022 concert cancellations due to the rapid spread of the newer COVID-10 variant. As Rolling Stone pointed out on Wednesday, more than 2,000 Playing In The Sand ticket-holders had signed a petition to convince CID Presents to offer refunds due to the ongoing Omicron surge.
Dead & Company has remained responsive to pandemic-related developments over the last two years. The group was one of the first to cancel its 2020 tour plans, opting to return money to ticket-buyers rather than tying it up in postponed dates. In 2021, Dead & Company was one of the first large-scale touring productions to implement comprehensive testing/vaccination protocols. At this time, Dead & Company’s Playing In The Sand is the only upcoming CID event offering blanket refunds.
As the popular Grateful Dead offshoot noted in a post on social media, “Dead & Company looks forward to seeing you at [Playing In The Sand] January 7-10 & 13-16, 2022. We understand that some package holders have concerns about the recent COVID-19 surge and anyone no longer interested in attending either weekend may now request a refund.”
Refund requests must be submitted by Friday, 12/31 at 5:00 p.m. ET to be honored. All ticket-holders have been emailed with specific instructions for requesting Playing In The Sand 2022 refunds. Those choosing to attend are being strongly encouraged to receive a vaccine booster before traveling to Mexico.
With refunds now being issued, Playing In The Sand has opened up a limited amount of packages for those still wishing to attend. For more information on Playing In The Sand 2022 packages, head here.
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Playing In The Sand 2022 will mark the first year with two separate installments of the destination festival, produced by CID Presents. The additional event was added due to overwhelming demand when the first set of dates quickly sold out. This new update comes amid a striking global surge in new cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and an accompanying cascade of concert cancellations for late December 2021 and early January 2022.
The event will also implement a number of additional health and safety protocols for the staff and attendees who still make the trip. Read a full list of updated protocols below.
Organizers recently have also announced the schedule of performers for both weekends of the Playing In The Sand 2022. Both weekends will include supporting sets by L.A.-based funk-jam outfit The Main Squeeze, Nashville singer-songwriter Margo Price, and blues-rock guitar maven Celisse. The destination events will also feature late-night sets by The Main Squeeze, Femme House founder and producer/multi-instrumentalist LP Giobbi, and Cleveland, OH rock-reggae-funk troupe Tropidelic. Check out the full schedule below.
For more information on livestream passes for both weekends of Playing In The Sand 2022, head here. For a full recap and rundown of Dead & Company’s 2021 tour, head here.
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