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Addison’s annual Oktoberfest celebration has officially been canceled as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the state of Texas.
Originally set for September 17-20, the festival’s organizers announced the cancellation in a press release on Tuesday, citing the “threat of COVID-19.” “Due to the close contact caused by the inherently social nature of the festival, it would not be safe to hold such a large gathering this year,” Addison special events director Jasmine Lee said in a statement.
Oktoberfest’s cancelation follows last week’s major news that the State Fair of Texas would be cancelled for 2020, the first time since World War II that the annual event at Fair Park has not taken place.
In North Texas and beyond, new cases of COVID-19 are being diagnosed at an alarming rate. As NBCDFW reported, Dallas County has reported more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 every single day for the past two weeks. At this rate, it’s hard to believe that any large-scale event could take place this fall.