BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – Uncertainty continues over whether there will be crowds of people enjoying an annual festival in Western New York this year.
Organizers pulled the plug already on regional staples like Canal Fest of the Tonawandas and Burgerfest in Hamburg. They said the uncertainty of the pandemic led them to making that decision.
But not every event is cancelled. The annual Dyngus Day parade is still on as scheduled, albeit with a different look in 2021 compared to the pre-COVID era.
"It certainly won't be anything like it has been in years past where we have tens of thousands of people going venue to venue and watching the parade and the dancing polkas and the like," Eddy Dobosiewicz, President of the Dyngus Day Parade, said. "I think all except two of our traditional venues are shut down. Some have gone completely out of business because of the government mandates and restrictions and lockdowns. It's not going to be anything like it was."
Still, he said organizers have come up with a plan that includes a "Polonia pussy willow procession" through the Polonia district that will follow all the government mandates. There will be limits on how many people can even participate in what he called the "parade".
"We have over a half a mile of area to space people apart that are participating in the event and we actually have more if we need more space," he said. "…We are making sure that people follow all the rules that have been dictated to us by the government."
Other events like the annual Taste of Buffalo in Downtown Buffalo are also still on.
Several annual festivals still haven't made an official decision on whether they will hold their event this year or cancel it.
"Planning and sponsoring the event the size of the nature is virtually impossible going into the season," Mark Sciortino, the spokesman for the Italian Heritage Festival, said. "There's always changing guidelines and always different instructions coming out of the CDC, the government, and the health department. To pull off an event, you have to be 100% able to bring people in safely."
Sciortino said if they are limited to 200 people, it will be a challenge. However, he was not optimistic about their chances this year.
"July doesn't look promising but we're hoping to do an event down the road at a later date," Sciortino said.
Sciortino said the constant changes from the state has made everything difficult when it comes to running a business, let alone an annual festival.
"The events are difficult," he said. "We do it because there are three not-for-profit organizations that benefit for the entire community.
When we can't provide for that, it hurts everybody involved…We're hoping as the vaccine takes over and hopefully by May 1 more people will be vaccinated and we can move forward at a later date to do an event. If not, we're going to look at 2022. I can't even believe I'm saying 2022 for our next event. That's just reality. It sucks."
Arguably the largest local festival of the year, the Erie County Fair, has not announced any concrete plans. When reached by phone on Thursday, one of the organizers declined an interview but said the organization is awaiting guidance from the state before making any decisions.
