This is the fifth of our weekly “What To Expect” communications. There are only six weeks until the start of the 2021 Summer Assembly, and on Monday of each of those weeks we will send a communication to give you newly acquired information and to clarify previous statements based on your feedback from the prior week. New information will always be at the top, but we will maintain older information so you have it all in one place. 

May 17 Updates and Clarifications

COVID-19 Vaccinations, Testing, and other Screening and Prevention Measures, as Required by New York State 

• On May 13, the CDC released new guidance that vaccinated individuals need not wear masks in most indoor and outdoor settings (with the exception of airplanes, buses, trains and other public transportation, health-care settings, or other settings where state or local restrictions require them). While this and other announcements from Governor Cuomo are incredibly encouraging, we must emphasize that these announcements do not yet change how we are operating this summer. New York State will need to adopt such guidance officially before we can update the Institution’s protocols. 
   
  • As a reminder, the current state guidance requires masks be worn wherever distancing is not possible; distancing between parties in performance venues; temperature checks and proof of vaccination/negative test to enter performance venues; and 33% capacity in the Amp.  
     
  • We are hopeful the state will update its guidance soon because we are fast approaching a point when it will be difficult for us to significantly pivot in time for opening day. Pivoting cannot happen overnight because we must program systems and hire and train staff to implement whatever processes we use to welcome people in our venues and spaces. That is important to remember throughout the summer. If New York updates guidance at any point during the season, we will need to evaluate our capacity to pivot to it based on staff and system capabilities. 
     
    • We ask that our community remain patient and understand that we are doing our very best to provide a safe and fun experience for all. No matter how much restrictions relax through the season, our ability to safely and smoothly change processes and protocols will vary depending on activity type and available resources. Where we can pivot, there will almost certainly be some lag time between the guidance being released and our protocols being updated.  
       
• The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 15 last week. The Institution will accept proof of vaccination from all Chautauquans 12 and over for screening purposes when entering our performance venues. Anyone who does not show proof of vaccination, including children aged 2–11, must show proof of a negative test result. We are awaiting clarity on the minimum age, as there is some indication it may be age 4. 
   
• The on-grounds health clinic run by AHN Westfield Memorial Hospital is not able to offer testing this summer, but we believe they will be able to accommodate some number of vaccinations. Once the clinic has confirmed its plans for the summer, we will send more details about this and other services.  
   
• Currently, the three types of proof of vaccination we are permitted to accept are: (1) the official COVID-19 vaccination record card; or, for New York residents, (2) a NYSIIS printout from a health care provider or the local health department; or (3) the Excelsior Pass via mobile device or printed copy. 
   
  • We are still waiting for approval of the process for showing proof of a negative test and will update here as soon as possible. 

 Gate Passes and Events at the Amphitheater and Other Venues

• To complete the implementation of a new ticketing system, all ticketing sales (online, phone and walk-up) will be suspended May 22–25. The Ticket Office staff will be available for general inquiries at the Ticket Office or via phone, but no sales can be accommodated during these dates. We thank you in advance for your patience as we upgrade systems to better serve Chautauquans. 
   
• With the easing of restrictions in New York, we are seeing more and more of the preachers, speakers and artists who grace our stages solidifying their speaking and performing plans. To stay up to date on the latest calendar of events, click or tap here for June 2021, July 2021 or August 2021.
   
• Due to New York State regulations regarding COVID-19 health and safety, we are managing ticket sales and attendance for events at the Chautauqua Amphitheater in the following way during the summer of 2021: 
   
  • Available tickets to Amphitheater events that are included in the Traditional Gate Pass will go on sale to the general public on a space-available basis approximately one week prior to the start of each week. The following is the public on-sale schedule:
    For Events Taking Place / Sales Begin
    June 26–July 2 / June 20
    July 3–9 / June 27 
    July 10–16 / July 4 
    July 17–23 / July 11 
    July 24–30 / July 18 
    July 31–August 6 / July 25 
    August 7–13 / August 1 
    August 14–20 / August 8
    August 21–28 / August 15
  • For each on-sale date, online purchases begin at 9 a.m. EDT. For phone or walk-up sales at the Ticket Office, the hours of operation from June 19 to Aug. 31 are 8 a.m.– 8 p.m. EDT daily. Phone calls on these on-sale dates may have longer-than-usual wait times due to anticipated high call volume.
  • There are two popular entertainment events each week that will be sold according to a different schedule. These are concerts by outside performing arts groups and individuals that are not included in the Traditional Gate Pass. The full listing of events that fall into this category will be identified soon, and they will go on sale to the general public on June 2.
  • For those curious about the Performance Pavilion on Pratt, click or tap here for a short video rendering. The Pavilion will face uphill on the west side of Pratt, adjacent to Children’s School and downhill from the Arts Quad, with the view overlooking Chautauqua Lake as the stage backdrop. It is scheduled to be constructed in mid-June.

---

May 10 Updates and Clarifications

COVID-19 Vaccinations, Testing, and other Screening and Prevention Measures, as Required by New York State

• On May 5, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that in large-scale outdoor event venues like the Amp, fully vaccinated attendees may be spaced next to one another, instead of six feet apart, in assigned, seated sections that are designated solely for fully vaccinated individuals. Individuals seated in these sections will have to provide proof of full immunization status, and young adults and children who are not yet eligible for the vaccine may accompany and be seated with a vaccinated adult in a fully vaccinated section (children still must show proof of negative test). We are still working out how this will affect seating in the Amp, but it is our hope that it will allow us to make more seats available this summer and may allow us to re-open sales of Traditional Gate Passes for Weeks One through Five.
   
• The FDA has announced that the Pfizer vaccine is likely to receive Emergency Use Authorization this week for adolescents aged 12–15.
   
• Many have asked what “proof of vaccination” will entail. Our current understanding is it will require displaying your CDC card or a code generated by a mobile verification app such as the Excelsior Pass. This proof is required each time you enter a venue or a seating section, but we are hoping to be able to offer a solution that allows us to enter your proof into our system once, at the beginning of your stay. We will keep you posted as we learn more from our ticketing system vendor about this potential capability.
   
• Some have wondered whether protocols will be different for Sundays, which will feature complimentary entry. The protocols for entry into our venues will not differ on Sundays and assuming current requirements remain in place, we will be assigning seats, including for worship services.
  

Gate Passes and Events at the Amphitheater and Other Venues

• Some have inquired as to why we list more than two popular entertainment events per week on our website (popular entertainment) when we have said no more than two events per week will be priced outside the traditional gate pass. To clarify, not all of the events currently listed as popular entertainment will require a separate ticket beyond the traditional pass. Some of them will be included with that pass. We will soon identify and communicate the confirmed events, no more than two per week, that are not included with the traditional pass.
  

On-Grounds Services & Programs

• The outdoor social gathering limit is increasing to 500 as of today, and the indoor social gathering limit to 250 on May 19.
   
• As New York continues to reopen at a fast clip, we want to highlight a separate challenge we face this season and ask for your help meeting it. Staffing has always been challenging in the summer, but it is particularly so this year when many remain unsure they want to take summer positions while the virus remains active. Please help us spread the word that Chautauqua is hiring this summer! Available positions can be viewed at our employment portal. Our ability to hire directly correlates to our ability to present a fun and safe experience for all this summer.  

---

May 3 Updates and Clarifications

COVID-19 Vaccinations, Testing, and other Screening and Prevention Measures, as Required by New York State

• Chautauqua Health & Fitness at the Turner Community Center is also subject to numerous state guidelines and the staff has done an amazing job repurposing spaces, scheduling workouts and handling mitigation measures to make your recreational experience a great one. For details on what is and is not new this summer at Turner Fitness, please see the document linked here.

Gate Passes and Events at the Amphitheater and Other Venues

• We offer some additional clarification regarding tickets for children 12 and under in our temporary Performance Pavilion on Pratt Avenue. All tickets to sit under the cover of the pavilion, including for children 12 and under, will cost $25. Seats on the lawn still require a ticket because we need to track capacity and maintain distance by assigning space on the lawn, but all lawn tickets, children and adults, are free of charge to all Traditional Gate Pass and Grounds Access Pass holders. These tickets will be reserved via the same pre-registration process we’ve described in previous communications. 
   
• Renters with an executed rental agreement have until June 11 to complete their gate pass purchases for Weeks One through Five. Please contact the Ticket Office at 716-357-6250 to purchase gate passes. Renters may show proof of a rental contract by emailing it to the Ticket Office at ticketoffice@chq.org. In the limited cases where contracts are not issued, the Property Owner Who Rents may email the name of renters and dates of the stay to facilitate gate pass purchases for their renters.
   
• Traditional Gate Passes and Grounds Access Passes are accompanied this summer by a complimentary subscription to the online CHQ Assembly. The online subscription period is intended to run concurrent with the period for which you have purchased a gate pass, allowing you to experience your stay in person, online or with a mix of both. However, if you wish to start your subscription earlier or later than the timeframe of your 2021 Summer Assembly stay, or if you wish to gift your complimentary subscription to someone else, you may gift or activate your account upon receipt of your complimentary subscription promo code, which we will start to issue via email to gate pass purchasers very soon. Look for an email with the subject line: Your Complimentary CHQ Assembly Subscription. For those who have an existing CHQ Assembly subscription, you may gift the complimentary subscription or use it to extend your current subscription. 

On-grounds Services and Programs

• We can now share photos of The A Truck, our new Institution-operated food truck that this summer will serve patrons of our new lakeside food and drink venue 3 Taps and families enjoying the beaches, playground and green space near Miller Bell Tower. 

---

 April 26 Updates and Clarifications 

COVID-19 Vaccinations, Testing, and other Screening and Prevention Measures, as Required by New York State

• COVID-19 test results are not, at this time, required to attend Club or Children’s School. That said, New York has not released new guidance for day camps since June 2020, and we expect new guidance will be shared soon. 
   
• Children 12 and under, as in recent years, will be required to get a complimentary gate pass so that we can better support their safety and security. If they wish to attend an event in the Amphitheater or under the cover of the Performance Pavilion, they are asked to reserve a seat. If children are accompanied by a Traditional Gate Pass-holding adult, the reservation can be made at the time the Traditional Pass holder makes his/her reservation. Free admission for children 12 and under does not include the two events each week that are not included with the Traditional Gate Pass. 
   
• As required by New York State, entry into the Amphitheater or Performance Pavilion venues requires a COVID-19 vaccination, a negative PCR test within 72 hours, or rapid test within 6 hours. This means children who do not qualify for a vaccine will be required to show proof of a recently administered negative COVID-19 test. 
   
• To clarify, a negative test result or proof of vaccination is only required to get into our performance venues, and it may be helpful to frame the requirement as necessary “whenever there is an audience.” 
   
• Some have wondered what we mean when we say, “Masks will be required anywhere on the grounds where distancing is impossible.” This is the same requirement we have had since mid-2020. When walking around the grounds, people tend to carry, but not wear, a mask so they can be ready if they find themselves in a crowd. We strongly recommend everyone be in the habit of having a mask with you at all times on the grounds of the Institution. 
   
• People have asked whether we can have a “vaccinated” section of the Amp, similar to what we know some stadiums are doing. At this time, neither that nor any other plan that diverts from the requirements listed above is allowed in large outdoor venues like the Amp in New York State. 

Gate Passes and Events at the Amphitheater and Other Venues

• Knowing we cannot use our venues at full capacity this summer, we are working to find creative and fun ways to utilize the rest of the grounds. Click here for two examples of family-friendly pilot initiatives available to all pass holders.
   
• We still believe we will be able to accommodate the demand for assigned seats to events in the Amphitheater by Traditional Pass holders even after we saw an uptick in purchases of Traditional Gate Passes last week. 
   
• Some have wondered if they can reserve seats for the entire season at once. We understand this will be a different and somewhat frustrating experience for season pass holders. We will continue to think of ways to ease the process. The reason we propose week-by-week initially is because we expect regulations to shift and therefore (hopefully) capacity limits, which will impact seating configurations every time the facility use regulations change.  
   
• To clarify, this suspension in sales for Weeks One through Five applies to Traditional Gate Passes including Traditional Season Passes. You may still purchase Grounds Access Passes. We are suspending sales of Traditional Gate Passes as of close of business Monday, April 26, until New York State significantly increases the number of people we are permitted to host in the Amphitheater. Under current guidance, we may seat approximately 900 people at any single event at the Amphitheater. 
   
• We will soon release additional details including artist renderings of the Performance Pavilion on Pratt Avenue, including how events will be staged and guests will be accommodated. We know there is great excitement about this new temporary venue, especially since we recently released the Opera and Theater repertoire for 2021. 
   
• People have asked what happens if you reserve a seat and then cannot come to an event. Our new ticketing platform will have the capability to allow a user to easily release their seat, and in the spirit of neighborliness we hope people will do so if they cannot attend an event for which they have reserved a seat.

---

April 19 Communication

COVID-19 Vaccinations, Testing, and other Screening and Prevention Measures, as Required by New York State

• Proof of vaccination or proof of a recent negative test (within 72 hours for PCR or 6 hours for rapid antigen) will be required for all persons over age two to attend events in our venues, but neither will be required to enter the grounds.
   
  • The Institution will not offer testing to patrons on the grounds but will communicate information regarding available nearby testing sites and at-home testing services prior to and throughout the summer.
     
  • We expect those patrons coming for multiple days or events will be able to show proof of vaccination once at the beginning of their stay, though we are still working through some aspects of how that will be recorded and monitored. We will continue to update this information.
     
  • We recognize that vaccinations are not available for children under age 16, and are unlikely to be available this summer. At this time, the state is not allowing exceptions to the testing requirement for children, and we do not expect that to change this summer. It is extremely likely that children who wish to enter our venues will need to be tested.
     
• Temperature checks will be required for entry into our venues, but not at the gates into the grounds. This is a New York State regulation.
   
• Masks will be required in all public venues and facilities, except when seated at a food service venue. Masks will also be required anywhere else on the grounds where distancing is impossible.
   
• Six-foot distancing between parties will be required at all events.

On-Grounds Services and Programs

• We will run some trams and/or buses, but their routes and capacities will likely be different, and masks and distancing will be required. More specific information about both will be forthcoming as we get closer to season.
   
• The pool and indoor fitness facilities at Turner Fitness Center, Turney Sailing Center, Sports Club, Children’s Beach, Tennis Center, Golf Club and Golf Learning Center, Smith Memorial Library, Post Office, Bookstore, Visitors Center, Robert R. Hesse Welcome and Business Center, Ticket Office, art galleries and The Gallery Store, Chautauqua Cinema, Farmers Market, Bestor Fresh Market (Tuesdays only), shops and food and beverage operations will be open, most daily.

Events at the Amphitheater and Other Venues

Capacities in our venues will be limited according to state regulations and will depend in part on the size of groups we are permitted to seat together as well as the distance we are required to keep between those groups. We expect to receive additional guidance on these requirements.

What to expect:
 

• Seating for all events will be assigned, and we will use strategies such as timed and assigned entry points to ease venue entry and to avoid the accumulation of queues.
   
• We are implementing a new mobile-friendly ticketing and seat assignment system that will modernize the process of selecting assigned seats and purchasing individual tickets. If you choose, you will be able to use your mobile device to check in at all gates and venues.
   
• Based on current sales levels and historic attendance patterns, we believe we will be able to provide assigned seats to all who have purchased Traditional Gate Passes for Amphitheater events.
   
  • We will be asking all Traditional Gate Pass holders to reserve seats to the pass-included events they wish to attend beginning two weeks in advance of the start of each Summer Assembly week (for example, the Week One advance reservation period will be June 12–19).
     
  • If seats remain after the Traditional Pass holders’ advance reservation period, we will make them available for individual sale to Grounds Access Pass holders (discount will apply) and other patrons. Employee and Complimentary Pass holders will be able to reserve available seats after sales have been open for 48 hours.
     
  • If we determine there is demand exceeding capacity for any event, we will attempt to offer reserved seating at satellite locations where we will be able to present live events via simulcast television technology. In cases where this is not possible or not desirable, we will issue pro-rated refunds to any Traditional Pass holder whose advance reservations are not able to be accommodated.
     
  • Events will be presented on CHQ Assembly when permitted. CHQ Assembly subscriptions will be included with all Traditional and Grounds Access passes.
     
• Again, to manage within the anticipated capacities required by New York State, we are suspending sales of Traditional Gate Passes for Weeks One–Five at the close of business on Monday, April 26, until further notice.
   
• Tickets to popular entertainment events at the Amphitheater (as many as two per week) that are not included with the Traditional Gate Pass will go on sale starting in early June. Traditional Gate Pass and Grounds Access Pass holders will receive an early opportunity to purchase these tickets.
   
• We anticipate Performance Pavilion tickets for assigned seating and Special Studies class registration will be available beginning in early June.

We remain in regular contact with New York State and with Chautauqua County health officials, but there is no prediction at this time whether or when any of these measures will change. We will continue to send and post information as we receive it. Summarized information will be kept up to date at VacationSafely.chq.org.

As a reminder, these parameters apply to Chautauqua Institution events and property. The Institution does not regulate private property, including denominational houses, boarding houses, single family homeowners, or privately owned hotels. Renters, please work directly with your landlord to understand how they will operate this summer.