Celebrate! West Hartford Event Canceled For 2020

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The town's signature event, Celebrate! West Hartford, scheduled for June 6 and 7, has been canceled for this year, according to Town Manager Matt Hart. The decision was made in conjunction with the Celebrate! West Hartford Committee, Mayor Shari Cantor, town leaders including the Directors of Public Works and Social & Leisure Services, fire and police chiefs and the acting director of the Bloomfield-West Hartford Health District.

Attracting more than 35,000 people each year from the Greater Hartford area, Celebrate! West Hartford provides festival attendees with a wide range of family activities, including a highly rated juried arts & crafts show, great food, entertainment, games, carnival rides, a certified 5K road race and Kids Fun Run. There is no admission charge for the event, and many of the activities are free. This would have been the festival's 34th year.

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"As a town-sponsored event, Celebrate! West Hartford requires time and attention from many town departments and employees in the months and weeks leading up to it," Hart said in a news release. "During this unprecedented time responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, our first priority must be the health and well-being of our residents."

Cantor said, "The extreme measures and sacrifices that we are making now are an effort to get back to our normal way of life as quickly as possible."

"We know many families look forward to the festival every year," committee chair Mary Alexander said. "For now, we must be responsible to each other and unfortunately canceling this event is the right decision. We will all be back better than ever next year."