Last year, when Oktoberfest and all the others outdoor events were cancelled, Oakland Park residents hunkered down and rode out the COVID storm. They did this in the hopes that in 2021 things would be different.
Earlier this year, when vaccinations were given en masse around the country, many thought that life would finally get back to normal, and it sort of did, until Delta variant appeared.
Just a couple of weeks ago at a Commission meeting, Kaitlyn Collier from Oakland Park’s CRA announced the Oktoberfest would be the first City even that would be back, as long as there was no cause for concern. This week concerns about the Delta variant continued to grow and as a result the City’s yearly Oktoberfest was cancelled.
It's Official: Oktoberfest 2021 is Cancelled
On the City’s event page for the Oktoberfest they posted the following message:
“Each year we look forward to hosting our signature Oakland Park special events. Given the rise of COVID cases in our community, we have made the difficult decision to suspend plans for future city events at this time. This avoids incurring costly expenses for cancelling event contracts on short notice. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to resuming our events as soon as possible. If you have any questions please contact Parks & Leisure Services at 954-630-4500.”
The Pandemic Isn't Over
Despite the sense of normalcy we had for the past few months, the pandemic seems far from over. According to the CDC and Florida Health, 13,521 new cases were reported from August 13 to Agust 20.
On July 27, CDC released updated guidance on the need for urgently increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage and a recommendation for everyone in areas of substantial or high transmission to wear a mask in public indoor places, even if they are fully vaccinated.
Erring on the Side of Caution
Since the pandemic began the City has always had the well-being of its residents in mind. When a quarantine was necessary, the City immediately cancelled the Youth Day Parade in 2020. So it is no surprise that given the concern with the Delta variant that this year’s Oktoberfest was cancelled.
On the bright side, when events start back up again it will be because things are truly getting back to normal.
