The Florida Indian Heritage Association, Inc. is pleased to once again bring fun, entertainment, great dancers, awesome vendors and live shows to families in the counties we serve. We know these are difficult times and there are many concerns about health and safety. Our team is working hard to reduce the impact of the coronavirus on our communities while preparing for the upcoming powwows. The Florida Indian Heritage Association, Inc. continues to be in constant contact with county and health officials to ensure the safety of event attendees.

The Thunder on the Beach Powwow is taking place February 19-21, 2021.

The FIHA 55th Anniversary Powwow is taking place March 26-29, 2021.

As we get closer to the opening day of the each powwow, we will work with health officials to set protocols based on the most recent COVID-19 modeling and data.

The following procedures have been set in place to create a safe environment for our spectators, volunteers, vendors, singers, and dancers, during all our our events.

• New training programs have been provided to volunteers and employees instructing them on how to stay safe and keep spectators safe. Hand sanitation and hand washing stations will be installed in multiple locations around the Fairgrounds as the venue will allow.
  
• Volunteers and staff will be instructed to wear face coverings, as appropriate, per CDC guidelines.
  
• Spectators will be required to wear face coverings at all times when not eating or drinking.
  
• Touch-free or contactless payment options will be provided for admission and encouraged to be used by our vendors.
  
• Volunteers and staff will be provided with personal protective equipment as per CDC guidelines. Temperature checks will be performed at the beginning of each shift.
  
• Spectators, volunteers and staff who have been diagnosed or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 will be prohibited from entering the premises.
  
• Informative signage will be posted at entrances and throughout the fairgrounds to remind spectators to adhere to the guidelines provided by the CDC.
  
• Entrances and exit points will be established. Fairgoers will will be asked to adhere to traffic instructions to minimize close contact with others.
  
• All self-serve items have been removed from the food concessions and will be provided to spectators upon request.
  
• Volunteers and staff will be required to monitor guests to enforce social distancing and prevent gatherings.
  
• Spectators will be instructed to utilize sanitation stations before and after consuming food and drinks.
  
• All commercial vendors will be required to wear facial coverings the entire time of the event in compliance with the guidelines that are in place.
  
• Volunteers and staff will be required to clean and sanitize all contact surfaces between performances throughout the grounds.
  
• All high touch areas are sanitized at regular intervals during each days’ operation.
  
• Seating areas throughout the fairgrounds are reconfigured to promote social distancing.
  
• Anywhere there is the potential for people to stand in a line, queuing instructions (i.e. signage) and devices shall be used to instruct patrons to maintain safe distances from one another.
  
• New procedures have been implemented to increase cleaning and sanitization frequency.
  
• Food service areas will adhere to the guidelines set forth by the CDC for restaurants and dining services.

HOW THE USE OF THE FAIRGROUNDS DIFFER FROM OTHER VENUES

Unlike other venues for large gatherings, such as sports arenas or stadiums, the Fairgrounds is differentiable along the following lines:

1. The fairgrounds can manage and reduce capacity at a number of different physical locations or points on the grounds to allow for appropriate social distancing.

2. All of the entertainment for 2021 is outdoors.

3. Event dining will occur outside.

4. Exposure time between non-same-household sheltering family members is somewhat limited and is completely controllable by the guests themselves.

5. The powwow does not use the fairground’s buildings include several fully enclosed exhibit halls with HVAC systems, roofed structures with no sidewalls and structured tents with sidewalls, doors and HVAC services as the entire event is held outdoors.

6. Based on prior surveys, nearly 90% of the attendees are made up of families who live in the same home and thus do not need to be physically distanced from each other.

7. The guests can freely move throughout the outdoor portion of the fairgrounds as opposed to sitting in a single location for an extended period of time. The buildings, barns and tents will be set up for appropriate social distancing.

The principles and considerations outlined in this document were compiled with information from other fairs, outdoor attractions, amusement, agriculture, livestock exposition, food service, and commercial vendor industry trade associations including the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA), National Independent Concessionaires Association (NICA) and International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), among other sources.