The annual Worcester festival stART on the Street will be canceled for the second year in a row, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organization announced on Tuesday.
In a notice on its website and Facebook pages, leadership cited uncertainty around the pandemic as the primary reason for forgoing this year’s event, which was slated to take place in September.
“While we are finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we are still unclear on exactly how far away it is,” leadership wrote in a statement. “With respect to this lack of clarity, and to the many artists and crafters whose livelihoods have already been catastrophically impacted by the pandemic, Team stART cannot in good conscious ask our vendors to create goods for a festival that may either be prohibited at the last minute, or poorly attended due to ongoing public health concerns.”
The one-day arts festival is typically held annually on Park Avenue, during which arts and crafts vendors set up booths, street performers entertain attendees, and a variety of musicians and music groups perform. The festival first began in 2002, according to the group’s website.
“We understand how disappointing this news is, and we feel it too,” the group’s leadership said in Tuesday’s statement. “However, we are not willing to create a situation in which our volunteers, vendors, and visitors will have to risk financial stability or their health.”
