2021 MTV VMAs Are Headed Back to Brooklyn in Front of a Live Audience

After a largely distanced 2020 event, the VMAs are coming back in 2021 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center with a live audience. The awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 12th.

“MTV and Barclays Center are working closely with state and local officials to implement best practices and execute a screen-breaking spectacle that brings together music fans from around the globe with the health and safety of our artists, fans, staff, and partners remaining the No. 1 priority,” organizers said in a statement, per MTV News. There is no mention of vaccine requirements, but New York previously implemented a vaccine requirement for indoor activities to begin mid-September.

Due to the proximity of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, MTV plans to work with the 9/11 Day nonprofit to honor the National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The 2020 show featured no audience and was filmed in locations across the city. “The whole night felt like a weird experiment, with everyone figuring out how to do a glitzy music spectacle during a pandemic, with social distancing and no audience,” wrote Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield.