Community Corner

Castro Valley Fall Festival 2021 Canceled Due To Health Concerns

The Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce cited Delta variant woes for cancellation of two-day, September tradition.

CASTRO VALLEY, CA — Castro Valley's Fall Festival, a community event held for nearly 50 years in Castro Village and later along Castro Valley Boulevard, is canceled for 2021, with organizers citing health and safety concerns stemming from rising rates of COVID-19's Delta variant.

"The Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce Board has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Fall Festival due to concerns for the safety of all attendees," the organization said, adding that, "This decision was not reached easily."

"Regretfully, we believe cancelling (the) Fall Festival is in the best interest of our community, including the students just returning to schools and concerns for all attendees, and the quickly growing Delta cases, even amongst vaccinated, as hospitals are starting to fill up again," chamber board member Todd Anglin said.

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The annual, family-friendly extravaganza, first launched in 1972, typically features live entertainment, craft beer, wine, food booths and a slew of arts-and-crafts vendors. This year's event was to include a segment honoring those who perished during 9/11 and recognizing first responders.

CVEA Board President David Gehrke thanked sponsors and participants who signed up for the 2021 Castro Valley festival, noting that the chamber is "already discussing Fall Festival 2022.”

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Follow this link for details or info on recovering any vendor deposits.

Despite pandemic woes, several, East Bay fall and Halloween events are proceeding for 2021, including Danville's FallFest, Piedmont's Annual Harvest Festival, Dublin's Splatter Festival, and the Pirates Of Emerson in Pleasanton. Among those on the cancellation list: Candle Lighters Ghost House in Fremont and the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.