International Folk Festival Cancelled Once Again for COVID-19 Concerns

Two months after announcing the International Folk Festival would be back this month, organizers with the he Arts Council of Fayetteville, Cumberland County have announced that Fayetteville’s annual cultural festival…

Updated Sep 8, 2021 6:16 PM EDT

Fayetteville will have the International Folk Festival back in September of 2021.

Two months after announcing the International Folk Festival would be back this month, organizers with the he Arts Council of Fayetteville, Cumberland County have announced that Fayetteville's annual cultural festival has been cancelled for 2021.

The multi-cultural festival and parade of nations was set to return to Festival Park and Downtown Fayetteville on September 25 and 26, 2021.

"The Arts Council’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Tuesday to cancel the event in its commitment to preserve public health and safety," the organization said in a news release. "Due to the recent spike of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Cumberland County, the Board determined that the risks and challenges of crowd management against exposure to COVID-19 outweighed the benefits of producing the event."

"The Arts Council is truly grateful for the ongoing support of its members, staff, event partners, cultural groups, local leaders, and its devoted community who have made the International Folk Festival a tremendous success year after year."

One of the biggest annual events in Fayetteville, the International Folk Festival was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Arts Council had announced in July that the festival was back on this year.

"The Arts Council’s Board and staff anticipate an exciting return of the festival to an in-person event in 2022 with more opportunities for greater cultural engagements," the release said.