Three Rivers Festival news release:
52nd Annual Festival Forced to postpone to 2021 due to Current COVID- 19
(May 14, 2020) – The Three River Festival Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to postpone the 52nd Three Rivers Festival. While it breaks our hearts that we have come to this conclusion, we know we have made the right choice based on current circumstances.
Our mission has always been community-focused, and this year our best move is the one that promotes a safe environment in Fort Wayne. Our Festival is the second-largest in Indiana, drawing roughly half a million visitors each summer. After working with the Allen County Board of Health and the City of Fort Wayne, we have determined that the challenges of social distancing and other CDC safety guidelines are too much to overcome with the large crowds that are attracted. In addition to the safety of our guests, our festival relies on volunteers. Many of these volunteers are among the population most at-risk. These are our neighbors, friends, and community members that have become part of our Three Rivers Festival family over the past five decades.
Our festival would start just days after the move to stage 5 of Indiana’s Back on Track plan (scheduled for July 4th). Unfortunately, delaying the festival to another time is not an option. Any interruption in the Back on Track timeline would jeopardize not only the 2020 Three Rivers Festival, but the financial hardship would jeopardize future festivals as well. We hope to be around another 52 years, postponing ensures that opportunity.
The Three Rivers Festival Board of Directors is still hard at work on alternative and virtual ways to celebrate Fort Wayne, our rivers, and everything that makes our community strong. We will announce these details in the coming weeks. We encourage all our guests and patrons to continue to follow social distancing and safety recommendations. We cannot wait to bring our community together for our 52nd Three Rivers Festival in 2021.
Please stay connected with us on social media at https://www.facebook.com/ThreeRiversFestival/, https://www.instagram.com/threeriversfestival/, and https://twitter.com/ThreeRiversFest as well as our website, http://threeriversfestival.org/.
About the Three Rivers Festival
Three Rivers Festival began the summer of 1969 and has grown to be the second-largest summer festival in Indiana. This family-friendly, exciting nine-day celebration is held at Headwaters Park in downtown Fort Wayne, and coordinates with several affiliated-events also held during the week of the festival. The Three Rivers Festival draws over half a million visitors from Northeast Indiana, Northwestern Ohio, and Southern Michigan. The Three Rivers Festival an annual tradition to enjoy the fun, savor the delicious food and catch up with friends. Three Rivers Festival is a not-for-profit organization, funded entirely by vendor participation fees, souvenir sales, refreshments & entertainment ticket sales, and the generous sponsorship and support of area businesses.
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