Hello. This is Mayor Ted Bettencourt. Due to the threat of severe weather tomorrow, Sunday September 10th, I’ve made the very difficult decision to cancel the International Festival.
Although a little rain never hurt anyone and we could certainly handle that, there is a possibility of strong thunderstorms with heavy downpours throughout the afternoon hours. This creates a significant public safety hazard, particularly given the size of the event and the number of electrical power sources needed for cooking equipment and musical entertainment on Main Street.
The cancellation is even more disappointing because this year’s calendar does not allow for a Festival rain date, meaning there be no International Festival in 2023.
I just spoke to our Festival Committee however and we all agreed to start work on next year’s event, which we plan to make the biggest and best International Festival yet.
I am sorry to share this disappointing news and I hope everyone can understand my decision. Thank you.