Here's how Santa Cruz hotel threw a COVID-safe St. Patrick's Day party for eager guests

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KGO) -- At Dreams Inn in Santa Cruz, the St. Patrick's Day mood almost felt like the days before the pandemic.

Plenty of drinks and dancing. A DJ, a live band. A festive mood.

The difference -- there was no crowd on the floor and every guest partied on their own balconies.

The Dreams Inn has billed the event, a 'vertical concert', a safe way to get people to watch live music again.

RELATED: Amsterdam conducts COVID-19 social experiment with 1,300-person dance party

1,300 people took part in a trial dance Saturday night in Amsterdam. It was part of an initiative set up by the government and the entertainment industry to see if large groups can gather safely.

"We've never been so excited to offer something so unique during this whole pandemic," said Dan Smart, director of sales and marketing at the hotel.

For one of the guests, Carol Gilardi, the chance to leave the house, attend the event and spend time safely with friends was enough to make her cry.

"Today does feel like a new beginning. I feel like I can breathe," she said.

Gilardi had to shut down her salon last year.

RELATED: SF's 2021 Outside Lands music festival scheduled for Halloween weekend

"We were closed down for six months," she said, adding that losing her salon family was devastating.

Ticket sales for the concert prove people are ready to get their social life back, nearly every room was booked, the prices ranging from about $300 - $900.

For Gilardi, attending the event meant savoring every moment and reminding herself, how much she's earned it.

"Today to have a good time, it's a really big deal because it's been a full year and I've only been allowed to work three months the whole year."

Having trouble loading the tracker above? Click here to open it in a new window.

RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:

• Map shows which counties can, can't reopen under reopening tiers
• Cheat sheet: What you can and can't do after being fully vaccinated
• How to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in every Bay Area county
• Map shows everywhere you can get a COVID-19 test in the Bay Area
• Interactive map shows what's closed and what's reopening in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Data tracker: Coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations in every Bay Area county
• Third stimulus check calculator: See how much you could get
• COVID-19 Diaries: Personal stories of Bay Area residents during pandemic
• Get the latest updates on California EDD, stimulus checks, unemployment benefits
• Coronavirus origin: Where did COVID-19 come from?
• What is a COVID-19 genetic, antigen and antibody test?
• What does COVID-19 do to your body and why does it spread so easily?
• Coronavirus Timeline: Tracking major moments of COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Bay Area
• Coronavirus Doctor's Note: Dr. Alok Patel gives his insight into COVID-19 pandemic