Gloucester News

Daffodil Festival Cancelled Due To Coronavirus

‘Daffodil County of America’ Cancels Its Annual Festivities

Reporter Hayden Clevenger

The Daffodil Festival is a celebration of the coming of spring, and the blooming of Gloucester’s prize flower: the daffodil. This year, however, the festivities have been cancelled in light of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.

Normally, the Daffodil Festival hosts several contests on Main Street, including a themed art competition, a parade, and the crowning of the "Daffodil Festival Queen." This year's theme was "Daffodil Memories."

This cancellation will negatively affect the sales of many small businesses on Main Street, as well as other sponsors of the festival, such as Brent and Becky's Bulbs.

The CDC urged people to avoid any congregations over 50 people for the next eight weeks. As a result of this, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam imposed a ban on all events that have a turnout over one hundred people, including the Daffodil Festival.

The Daffodil Festival committee announced the cancellation on March 16, 2020, saying in their announcement that it is, "not without heartache.”

The committee hopes to see a good turnout at the 2021 Daffodil Festival. The 2021 festival is already being planned, with the speculated dates being March 27-28.

For those seeking additional information, the director of Gloucester's Parks, Recreation, and Tourism department asks that you contact her at klegg@gloucesterva.info.