Photo via Six60’s Facebook page

On Saturday, Jan. 16, approximately 20,000 music fans attended a concert in Waitangi, New Zealand, marking one of the biggest single gigs since the pandemic began. The show was the first of New Zealand band Six60’s six-show summer tour around the nation.

While the show was outside, audience members came into close contact with one another, did not have to wear masks and did not have to follow any social distancing guidelines. New Zealand has effectively contained the virus; they currently have fewer than 80 active cases, according to NME.

New Zealand has been able to safely hold large, non-socially distanced events since the end of 2020; they held several New Year’s Eve festivals with crowds around 20,000, such as Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne, Rhythm & Alps in Wanaka and Northern Bass in Mangawha (via NME).