Hear Ye! Hear Ye! This is an official Bah Humbug notice that the 25th annual Village of Port Jefferson Charles Dickens Festival is canceled this year. As the festival attracts over 25,000 people on the first weekend after Thanksgiving weekend in December, the COVID-19 pandemic makes safety first the rule for this family favorite event.
“The Village is so disappointed to postpone the 25th Silver Anniversary of our beloved festival founded by former Mayor Jeanne Garant,” said Mayor Margot Garant.
“But we honor and respect the need to protect our public, our cherished volunteer base and the establishments and houses of worship that traditionally open their doors to host the festivities. It is our primary objective to protect the health and wellness of our community and maintain the ability to keep our businesses open and operating safely under the current NY State guidelines.”
“The 25th Anniversary Dickens Festival was in the works right after the close of 2019’s presentation,” said Allan Varela, Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council Chair and Executive Producer of the Festival since 2005.
“While we were planning bigger, better, happier and more magical, Covid-19 hit the international stage forcing our hand to cancel this year. Too many people descend on the Village to enjoy the festivities making social distancing impossible. As sad as this is, we simply cannot risk anyone catching COVID. So, the Bah Humbug award will be taken away from Mr. Scrooge and given to Mr. Virus!” he said.
Stay tuned for Dickens plans in the future.
