A stage construction in the shape of a Christmas tree in Ljubljana’s city centre as a reminder of the forgotten live events industry. The #WeMakeEvents red alert lit up (no better name than) Kongresni trg aka Congress Square, a space created in 1821 for the Congress of the Holy Alliance.
On Tuesday, 22 December 2020, a special Christmas tree lit up in the city centre of Ljubljana, Slovenia. This time, it didn’t arrive from the Slovenian forests, as it was built from stage constructions and lights – a reminder of the live event sector, which has been at a complete standstill for the entirety of 2020. The creators of the Christmas tree wanted to highlight the struggles that employees in the event sector are going through and at the same time, symbolise hope for next year.
The campaign is led by the Slovenian non-profit organisation MiDelamoDogodke (part of the international #WeMakeEvents movement) and organised with the help of self-sacrificing individuals and the City of Ljubljana.
The Christmas tree was built using stage construction materials by local stage workers. As they were prevented from bringing joy to the people through events this year, this was a way for them to conjure up some festive spirit and bring smiles to people’s faces (even if they were hidden under masks).
Since March, when the first restrictions were put on gatherings, thousands of events have been cancelled, revenue cut off and organisers pushed to the brink of survival. The organisation MiDelamoDogodke drew attention to the problems of all behind-the-scenes workers and performers with a video #midelamodogodke. They also launched the #LightItInRed campaign, in which 44 Slovenian venues turned red for one evening. With the goal of helping stage workers – they are now also selling T-shirts and donating 100% of the profits to those most affected by the restrictions.
Kongres Magazine
