Leavenworth cancels Oktoberfest celebrations for second year in a row amid COVID-19

Stow away those lederhosen and dirndl for another year, Washington beer fans: Leavenworth's annual Oktoberfest celebration has been canceled for a second consecutive year amid COVID-19.

Projekt Bayern Board President Cary Sanger and Committee Chair Steve Lord announced the cancelation on Tuesday, noting that coronavirus restrictions would hinder the lively event.

"After a lot of deliberation, the Oktoberfest Team felt that anything less than the Authentic Oktoberfest Celebration normally thrown would be a disservice to all our loyal attendees," wrote Sanger and Lord in an official post. "Due to COVID-19 we are still facing so many state guidelines that affect our entertainment, food service, dance floors, singing, social distancing and the list goes on."

Leavenworth typically welcomes in around 55,000 visitors for all manner of pints and wiener schnitzel around the three-week Oktoberfest season, according to organizers. But with great crowds, naturally comes great crowding.

The beer-fueled festival, along with Leavenworth's annual Village of Lights was canceled in Aug. 2020 to prevent crowding in the downtown area amid worries about a fall surge of the virus. The early cancelation of this year's festival is to help prevent visitors from booking travel, saving them fees and deposits.

"By canceling this yearly event now, we can protect our patrons from losing their deposits for accommodations and travel expenses," wrote Sanger and Lord.

The first Leavenworth Oktoberfest was held in October 1998 which was attended by about 400 people. Festival organizers said they hope to resume in 2022, with "exciting news" coming.

Other annual events in the Pacific Northwest are pioneering on with some changes to their format. Although canceled last year, the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival will resume this April with timed ticket entry to manage capacity limits, giving visitors the chance to see thousands of colorful spring blooms.

Crowds are also returning in another area this spring: sports. Last week, the Seattle Mariners announced that 9,000 fans would be allowed in T-Mobile Park on April 1 and the subsequent 10 games.