Deadline to purchase tickets is Friday
The Westfield River Brewing Co at 707 College Highway, Southwick (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
SOUTHWICK – Live music returns to Westfield River Brewing Co. this weekend, with a drive-in version of its annual Fall concert Oct. 24.
The deadline to purchase tickets online is Friday. The event starts at 3 p.m. and features Hot Mess and Jamie’s Junk Show. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Brewery owner Sergio Bonavita said he could not wait to have a live show again.
“This will be our first true live music event since COVID,” he said. “We have had several small acoustic acts in the outdoor taproom, but nothing close to the typical shows we are accustomed to putting on.”
Bonavita said as much as this is a “return” to live concerts, it will be much different than past shows.
“This show will be nothing like normal — not that anything is – but we can follow all the COVID regulations and still give our customers a great night out,” said Bonavita. “This will be a ‘drive up’ show on our 73- acre farm, following the guidelines that have been set for drive-in movies. We will have the same large stage as usual, as well as the same lights and sound.” Customers buy a parking space and can have up to six people per vehicle. No RV’s, campers, etc. will be allowed. The parking spaces will be 8-feet wide and spaced 6-feet apart from each other.
Westfield River Brewing Co. is open Thirsday – Sunday, including its outdoor taproom. (WRB PHOTO)
“We are selling the spaces in rows which will be 40-feet apart, and the show will be on a slight incline in the shape of a baseball field,” Bonavita said. “The back rows will still have a great view. There will be no bar or food service – customers are encouraged to bring their own food.”
Westfield River brews can be purchased as participants enter the event. Customers can purchase cans of beer from their car at a to-go stand on their way into the show only, and the ticketing is completely online, ensuring a contactless entry.
Masks are required at all times when leaving the vehicle.
“We have been in consistent contact with local health officials to ensure that all safety measures are taken,” said Bonavita. “A full list of info can be found on our social media platforms and website.”
Bonavita said the pandemic has been a struggle for everyone but he is grateful to Westfield River Brewing Co.’s loyal customers.
“Due to the support of our customers, we have been ok during COVID,” he said. “We were able to build a large outdoor taproom and are able to accommodate large amounts of people while keeping everyone socially distanced. Our weddings have continued, albeit at groups of about 20 as opposed to 200. We have also started a beer dinner series which has consistently sold out – we are excited to add more dates to that series this holiday season.”
Although business has been steady the past few months since being able to open again, Bonavita is concerned about winter.
“Generally speaking – we are all ready for this to be over,” he said. “I get an overwhelming sense from the many people that come in that most of society is ready for normal – not ‘new normal’. I hope that this winter we will not be forced to jump through even more hoops than we already have in 2020. It will be virtually impossible for restaurants, wedding venues, breweries, wineries, etc. to survive this winter if stiffer restrictions are re-enacted by the state.”
Bonavita is hopeful guidelines will take multiple populations into consideration.
“I’d love to see a plan where the vulnerable populations are protected and things for everyone else go back to normal,” he said. “We know so much more about the virus than we did this spring and the medical community seems ready to tackle it this winter.”
To purchase tickets for the Fall Concert, visit the Westfield River Brewing Co. Facebook page or westfieldriverbrewing.com.
