Pella's Tulip Time Festival has been canceled over COVID-19 coronavirus concerns. The Pella Historical Society and Museums announced Tuesday the festival, originally scheduled for the second weekend in May, won't take place in order to keep people involved safe.
“This is the only way that we can keep our visitors safe, our volunteers, our participants, our residents of Pella and anyone else involved with the festival. We feel we must take the warnings of the CDC and the Iowa state department of health very seriously,” Valerie Van Kooten, executive director of the Pella Historical Society & Museums told WHO-TV 13.
Tulip Time brings in thousands of visitors every year from all over the world to celebrate Dutch heritage. Canceling the festival will impact members of the community who rely on those visitors each year.
“Canceling Tulip Time makes a financial hardship for many of our local nonprofits, our retailers and members of the hospitality industry. Many of these set their budgets for the year based on Tulip Time,” Cyndi Atkins, chair of the Tulip Time Steering Committee, told WHO-TV 13.
Tulip Time has only been canceled once in it's 85 year history. Organizers are asking people to make a donation and shop local in the festival's place.