2021 California Avocado Festival Postponed to Next Year
Board of Directors Announce Decision to Cancel Event in Carpinteria Due to COVID Concerns
After originally planning to hold the traditional California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria with a limited capacity and vaccine verification, the event’s Board of Directors have announced that the festival will be postponed another year due to increased COVID concerns.
“It is with heavy hearts that the California Avocado Festival announces that our event currently scheduled for Saturday, October 2, 2021, is postponed until 2022,” the board wrote in the announcement. “This decision was made due to capacity concerns, the changing nature of COVID-19, and to minimize the potential risk to members of our community as well as the several thousand out of town visitors that attend the event each year.”
The board made plans to host the event as a gated event, to mitigate safety concerns and control capacity, and to comply with all state and local guidelines for COVID precautions. The plans were to fence off Linden Avenue and require a vaccine card verification for all attendees. After much consideration, the board decided that the festival would lose its “character” as a “community-based, inclusive, family-friendly free event,” and ultimately postponed it to 2022.
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The festival website information says the board also decided that holding the festival on Linden Avenue was not possible “due to the many arteries that would need to be monitored and controlled by fencing and security.”
Although the annual festival is postponed, the board of the California Avocado Festival will continue to support local charities and distribute academic scholarships. There will also be fundraising with merchandise booths at the Farmers’ Market every Thursday, and a live fundraising event on October 2.
“We will continue in the coming years to go ‘Back to the Roots’ with more Carp-centric music, artisans, food, services, and nonprofits,” the announcement said. “We look forward to seeing you all next year and invite you to join us on our march to our 40-year event.”
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