North Tonawanda, NY (WBEN) - For the third time in the past four years, there will be no Canal Fest in the Tonawandas.
Event organizers say they have chosen to take this year off of the eight-day festival. In a statement, they say it is so they can better rebrand and restructure for its 40th celebration in 2024, which they say the festival will return for.
"Like anything else we now call normal, they all take a bit longer to put into motion," the statement said about their plans for the festival.
"We were sad to hear that it won't be happening this year, but it sounds like we're going to hit the reset button and re-envision what Canal Fest means," said North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec. "I think it will come back bigger and better than it has been."
"It's quite an expensive event," Tylec said. "Just the insurance alone is upwards of $30,000... If the dollars aren't there or don't add up you've got to re-envision what we got to do."
Organizers are promising new events, attractions, and entertainment for the 2024 edition of Canal Fest, which will be scheduled for July 14-21, 2024.