City hall cancels all festivals, games until June 30
‘This is about stopping the spread of COVID-19, so we need your help’
Festivals, public gatherings and events in Calgary up until June 30 are cancelled due to the COVID -19 pandemic, city hall announced Friday.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the move is “tough” for the community, as well as for him personally.
“I know that no matter how we probably knew it was coming, it was very hard for us to prepare ourselves mentally, emotionally, for that,” he said. “But I also know it’s the right thing to do.”
The mayor also warned that more summer events could be cancelled as the city watches the impact of the novel coronavirus in Calgary.
Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Tom Sampson said at least 79 events won’t happen as the city withdraws permits for any events in public spaces, including parks, for the next three months. Everything from charity walks to outdoor festivals through June 30 will now be called off.
“This is about stopping the spread of COVID-19, so we need your help and we need your understanding,” Sampson said.
He added that Calgary Flames and Calgary Stampeders games also won’t be allowed to happen before the end of June, at least.
Nenshi said that even if Calgary starts to see “the other side of the mountain” in containing the spread of COVID -19, “I really don’t think it’s wise to say, ‘Hey everybody, let’s have 17 or 20 or 35,000 people in one space’.
“Certainly, between now and the end of June, I cannot imagine that you would see events like that start up again,” he said.
Sled Island and the Lilac Festival are both scheduled for June. Sled Island’s executive director declined to comment Friday, saying a statement would be released in the coming days.
Lilac Festival producer Jennifer Rempel said she’s been in talks with the city about postponing the event to later in the year.
“We’re really crossing our fingers and hoping that can happen.”
Across Alberta, gatherings of more than 15 people are currently banned. But Nenshi said people shouldn’t get together unless it’s absolutely necessary.
“Unless it is something that is essential to the health and well-being of the community, then really, I’m urging people to just not do them.”
Calgary’s decision, which comes just a few days after Toronto made a similar call, raises questions about the future of other major summer events, such as the Calgary Stampede.
The Stampede is scheduled to start July 3, just days after the mandated cancellation period. The Calgary Comic Expo and the Calgary Folk Music Festival are supposed to follow later that month.
Nenshi said the Stampede board and management are taking the decision about the festival’s future “unbelievably seriously,” but they haven’t made a call yet.
“I had a dream last night ... that at midnight on June 30 we say, ‘Folks, we’re on the other side,’” Nenshi said. “And we have a crazy Canada Day party on July 1. And three days after that I ride a horse down the middle of the street. And a week after that we have the comic expo. And the week after that we have the folk festival. I think it’s OK to dream. I think it’s dangerous to put too much stock in our dreams.”