Organizers cancel Pungo Strawberry Festival again

VIRGINIA BEACH — For the second year in a row, there will be no Pungo Strawberry Festival in Virginia Beach because of COVID-19.

Festival organizers announced the cancellation Tuesday, noting that the event’s executive board made the call because of safety concerns, and they hope to return in 2022.

The cancellation comes after the city set records for COVID-19 numbers last week on Thursday (419) and Friday (503).

The three-day festival is normally held Memorial Day weekend and draws around 120,000 visitors.

It traditionally offers a parade, carnival, pie-eating contest, strawberry bake-off, pig race and other festivities.

Nixing last year’s festival was “a substantial cost” to organizers because they pay for much of the event costs up front hoping to recoup the money during the festival, chairman Todd Jones said in a release about the cancellation.

Although festival organizers said in March they’d be back in 2021, they decided against it due to challenges complying with government orders.

“It is challenging enough just to hold board meetings and planning sessions,” Jones said in the release. “We cannot confidently proceed with the 2021 festival. We do not want to bring large crowds together unless we feel certain it is in a safe and healthy manner, even outdoors.”

Jones said organizers cannot afford to pay so much money for the festival only to cancel at the last minute.

He also thanked the city and the festival’s many sponsors for their support over the years.