Beaumont's King Ludwig Oktoberfest 2020 Canceled: Coronavirus

BEAUMONT, CA — The 31st Annual King Ludwig's Oktoberfest is canceled this year in Beaumont, due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to organizers.

"It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Oktoberfest 2020 will be canceled," the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Recreation and Park District announced today. "We have chosen to cancel the event for the health and safety of the patrons, vendors and staff involved with this great event due to the many restrictions COVID-19 has placed on us, as well as the uncertainty for if and/or when we will be allowed to have gatherings again."

The three-day festival was planned Sept. 18-20 at Noble Creek Park.

The Beaumont festival, which ran from a Friday through Sunday in September for the past 30 years at the West Oak Valley Parkway park site, always drew throngs with its authentic German food, biergarten, kids' zone, stein-carrying and other contests, games and live entertainment.

No exact headcounts are conducted annually, but roughly 5,000 vehicles and 48 RVs were tallied at last year's Oktoberfest, the district said.

The 2020 cancellation decision was finalized at Wednesday's district board meeting by the general manager and staff.

"Restrictions from the governor, including social-distancing, will be difficult to enforce at a large event like this, especially with beer drinking involved and the crowds that the games such as log- sawing attract," said Kyle Simpson, BCVRPD activities coordinator.

"This was not an easy decision for us here at the district, as this is Beaumont-Cherry Valley Recreation and Park District’s signature event," Simpson added.

The district's decision follows similar cancellations of at least two other, large-scale Oktoberfests in California, also recently scrapped due to COVID-19 concerns.

In El Cajon, the German American Societies of San Diego canceled its popular Oktoberfest that was to run two weekends in September and October, with plans now set for 2021. And in the San Francisco's Bay Area, organizers in Clayton also dropped its 2020 Oktoberfest, a three-day, Munich-style festival that included carnival rides.

Local organizers are not alone in deciding to nix a Bavarian festival this year as German officials cited COVID-19 in April when pulling the plug on Munich's 220-year, legendary Oktoberfest, the world's largest such event annually drawing 6 million visitors.

Among other large-sized, holiday and community events canceled throughout the state due to COVID-19: Half Moon Bay's 2020 Art & Pumpkin Festival in the SF Bay Area; Rose Bowl Parade 2021 in Pasadena; the Los Angeles Philharmonic's fall concert series at Walt Disney Concert Hall; "Hamilton" performances in Hollywood (delayed to spring); and Anaheim's Fall Festival and Halloween Parade, a community tradition since 1923.

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