The National Fried Chicken Festival, first held in New Orleans’ Lafayette Square only to grow into its new home at Woldenberg Riverfront Park, will not take place this year. Unsurprisingly, the ongoing pandemic is to blame for the cancellation of the 2020 event.

The Spears Group, organizers of the music and food festival, first made the announcement on July 6, National Fried Chicken Day. Earlier in the year, the company released a statement saying it was not yet ready to cancel the event outright, despite similar cancellations by large events including BUKU.

Cleveland Spears, the founder of Fried Chicken Fest, said in the July 6 e-mailed statement, “As we closely monitored the rapid and ever-evolving circumstances surrounding Covid19, we remained hopeful that we would be able to safely host the festival in the fall. However, we now see that most states are experiencing spikes in new cases, and there is no clear end in sight.”

The National Fried Chicken Festival Presented by Raising Cane’s will return in 2021 with the event’s longterm goal of celebrating local restaurants and musicians while providing a “much-needed economic boost” to the region.

Last year’s Fried Chicken Fest featured a music lineup curated by OffBeat, with headlining performances from Grammy-nominated Cha Wa, Bounce Royalty (Choppa, DJ Jubilee and Cheeky Blakk) as well as a Sunday night “Who Dat Playlist” anchored by Raj Smoove and featuring a megawatt roster including the late 5th Ward Weebie as well as a return appearance from Choppa, Shamarr Allen and others.

For more information, visit the official website for the Fried Chicken Festival.