Two downtown 91原创 street festivals have gone the way of so many other big events this summer.
It became official this morning (Monday, May 11) that the 2020 Arts Alive Festival, as well as the Fork & Finger event, have been cancelled, said Teri James, executive director of the host organization.
鈥淭he Downtown 91原创 Business Association (DLBA) has made the difficult decision to cancel both the Arts Alive Festival and the Fork & Finger Events for the 2020 event season,鈥� she said.
鈥淚n the effort to be responsive to social distancing,鈥� James said the DLBA board feels 鈥渋t is not possible for events of this scale and size to be hosted responsibly in light of current circumstances.鈥�
The province continues to release updates around the steps everyone will be taking to re-open the communities.
But it has been made clear, James said, that large gatherings will not be permitted during the summer months this year.
Arts Alive Festival has been a signature Lower Mainland multi-media arts event held every August for 26 years.
LAST YEAR鈥橲 COVERAGE: A few small changes help drive attendance at Saturday鈥檚 Arts Alive
The one-day street festival 鈥� located on and around the one-way section of Fraser Highway 鈥� typically draws about 20,000 people to downtown 91原创 to take in more than 200 artists and artisans presenting a myriad of mediums and live demonstrations, as well as a multitude of live musical performance.
Vendors who have already purchased space for the 27th annual Arts Alive Festival will be contacted to arrange full refunds or credits towards next year鈥檚 event, said James.
In the meantime, the Fork & Finger event is another anticipated events in downtown 91原创, featuring live cooking demonstrations in McBurney Plaza as well as the opportunity to experience the unique restaurants located in the area.
2019 EVENT: Fork and Finger event draws largest crowds yet
It too has been cancelled for this year, James said.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly disappointing to see these events cancelled.鈥� she shared.
In the meantime, she said the DLBA is currently working on other ways to welcome people to the area to support the local businesses in what she called 鈥渁 safe and responsible way.鈥�
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