Columbia’s Greek Festival canceled because of ongoing coronavirus pandemic
One of Columbia’s most popular annual events won’t be held this year because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Columbia Greek Festival has been called off as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in South Carolina.
Event organizers said the 2020 Greek Fest was canceled because they would not be able to comply with recommended safety guidelines and social distancing mandates. The event, slated for Sept. 19-22, was scheduled to be the 33rd annual festival.
“As the health and well-being of our community, attendees, and volunteers are always a priority for us, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel Columbia’s Greek Festival this year,” organizers said on the event’s Facebook page.
Anyone who has attended the event in downtown Columbia over the past several decades can attest to its popularity. Visitors are in close contact with each other while taking in the various food, shopping and entertainment options on the grounds of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Sumter Street.
More than 170,000 people attended the Greek Fest last year according to organizers. That large number and the close quarters led organizers to the decision they could not safely hold the event.
“We determined it was not logistically possible to comply with the recommended COVID-19 safety guidelines set forth by our governmental entities and global healthcare experts,” organizers said. “We will miss celebrating all things Greek with you this year.”
No dates for the 2021 Greek Fest have been set, but organizers said they will make that announcement on Facebook.
The Columbia Greek Fest joins the Rosewood Crawfish Festival, Indie Grits film festival, Columbia’s annual St. Patrick’s Day festival in Five Points, Camden’s Carolina Cup steeplechase races and the Lexington Wine Walk among other notable events that have been canceled or held exclusively online because of the ongoing pandemic.
The cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in South Carolina, as 1,842 positive tests were confirmed Thursday by the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Overall, 63,880 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in South Carolina since testing began in March, according to DHEC.
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This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Columbia’s Greek Festival canceled because of ongoing coronavirus pandemic."
