KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The annual SantaCaliGon Days Festival held in Independence has been canceled for 2020.
The festival was scheduled to take place on Labor Day weekend, but the health restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic forced the festival to close.
“As we explored all options in which to hold the festival, it was clear that there was no path forward and the safety of our guests, entertainers, volunteers, and staff was our primary concern when making this decision,” Independence Chamber of Commerce Chair Sonci Bleckinger said in a release. “With an annual attendance of over 300,000, being able to provide adequate social distancing, sanitation, and public health support in a festival environment was going to be impossible to achieve.”
The Chamber of Commerce hopes to work with festival vendors so launch a virtual shopping platform to put in place of the physical event. Those details are still in the works.
The festival staff is already planning for the event to return in 2021.
