Safety Concerns Prompt New Rules For Pops

The show will go on, but the there will be some changes in store for those planning to attend the 25th edition of the Boston Pops on Nantucket.

In light of public safety concerns expressed by Nantucket's police and fire chiefs, the 2022 Boston Pops on Nantucket concert has been scaled back in ways both large and small. Perhaps most noticeable will be the loss of the fireworks at the end of the show. Nantucket Fire Chief Steve Murphy has long held concerns about the safety of shooting them off from the harborside of Jetties Beach - in close proximity to the crowd and the dunes - and the hospital was unable to come up with a solution to fire them off from an alternative location.

Other changes for this year's event include:

• Maximum attendance set at 5,500 (a reduction of 1,000 tickets)
• No outside alcohol except for reserved seating and receptions served by TIPPS certified staff, meaning no booze in the general admission area of the beach.
• More security, including bag checks, provided by private security details
• Additional State Police Troopers hired by the hospital

The Sandbar restaurant along with the restrooms at the Jetties Beach bathhouse will be closed to the public on Friday, Aug. 12 and Saturday, Aug. 13. The Jetties Beach tennis courts will also be closed to the public all day on Saturday, Aug. 13. Parking will be prohibited at the Jetties Beach lot starting on Friday and running through Saturday (with the exception of Nantucket Community Sailing students on Friday morning).

On Saturday, North Beach Street will be open to motor traffic for concert drop-offs only (at the intersection of North Beach Street and Bathing Beach Road). Hulbert Avenue, Bathing Beach Road and the dirt portion of Charles Street will all be closed to traffic on Saturday. 

Nantucket Cottage Hospital has also issued the following advisories for those planning to attend:

• General admission tickets are sold out. No tickets will be sold in-person or at the gate.
• In the interest of safety, early arrival will not be permitted this year. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. and lining up and congregating on Hulbert Avenue and Charles Street will be allowed beginning at 3 p.m.
• All tickets must be scanned by security staff at the entrance gate. You may show your confirmation code on your smartphone or by printing your confirmation email that shows your code.
• Security staff will perform contactless bag checks at the entrance gate. The following items are prohibited:
• Alcoholic beverages of any kind. Our event permit does not allow for alcohol to be brought to the site. If alcohol is found during a bag search, concertgoers will have the option to leave the event with it, or dispose of it in trash receptacles at the entrance.
• Glass bottles
• Beach umbrellas including canopies and shade structures
• Bicycles inside the concert (free parking is available near entrance at Bathing Beach Road)
• Cordoning off your chairs with tape/rope
• Drones or any other remote flying device
• Firearms, explosives, and weapons of any kind (including pocketknives, pepper spray, fireworks, etc.)
• Tarps larger than 8×8 feet
• Pets (except service animals)
• Any other items deemed as a possible threat to the safety of other guests