Skip to Main Content

Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival postponed until September because of coronavirus

March 13,2020

See full Fort Worth Star-Telegram article by Domingo Ramirez here.

Officials with one of the largest arts festivals in the United States have postponed the Fort Worth event which was scheduled for next month.

Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival, which had been set for April 16-19, is tentatively rescheduled with new dates of Sept. 3-6 in downtown Fort Worth.

Festival officials said on Friday the event was postponed because of the coronavirus. Tarrant County officials declared a local disaster Friday related to the COVID-19 virus, and many events across North Texas have been postponed or canceled.

The Main St. decision came just days after festival officials told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the event was ready to go.

“All lights are green at this point,” Andy Taft, president of organizer Downtown Fort Worth Inc., said in a previous interview. “We haven’t heard anything (about cancellations) from any artists at all. Unlike South By Southwest and some of these big conferences, ours is a very local and regional event.”

But in a statement Friday, officials said, “With the well-being of our community, guests, artists, vendors, entertainers, volunteers and staff as a top priority, Main St. organizers have made a difficult decision to reschedule this year’s event following ongoing discussions with our public health and safety partners.”

The festival is ranked in the top five of fine arts events in the United States. More than 1,300 artists attend the annual four-day event.

“We appreciate your continued support during this time, urge you follow the guidelines and protocols set forth by public health officials, and encourage you to stay updated on the 2020 MAIN ST. through our website and social media pages,” festival organizers said in a statement.