NBC San Diego (10/31/21) Raffa, Allie

After 18 months of pandemic restrictions, Halloween celebrations returned to many live event venues in October 2021. The Merrow, a live music venue in San Diego, came back to live with a performance of “Hillcrest’s Variety Pack Halloween Edition.” This included costumes, smiles and cheers as San Diego’s live event industry continues its recovery post-pandemic. “The energy is back and it’s exciting,” Paul Smith, owner of The Merrow, says. The Merrow fully reopening in June 2021 after months of repeated closures. Smith says that sales are actually higher now compared to pre-pandemic numbers. For those who are still wary about being indoors, Smith says a parking lot-turned outdoor bar and dining area has saved the venue, especially amid staffing shortages and supply chain issues. “COVID gave us an insight on what we're missing,” Marvin, the show’s promoter, says. “Because when everything was on pause, it was just like, this is what my life is about and this is what I was missing. It's like that hole that needed to be patched up again.”

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