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California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard canceled for 2nd year in a row because of COVID-19 pandemic

Workers pick strawberries in Santa Maria in this undated photo. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

It will be another not-so-fruitful year for the annual California Strawberry Festival, which was canceled again for 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual Oxnard celebration, which had been scheduled for mid-May, was shuttered due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, according to a statement on the festival’s website.

“We know that this will come as an enormous disappointment, not only to the thousands of guests we welcome every year, but also to the sponsors, exhibitors, performers, vendors and volunteers who help make the festival what it is,” said festival chairman Dean Kato in a statement.

“The California Strawberry Festival’s primary concern is the health and safety of everyone involved in the event,” the statement continued. “The uncertainty regarding what the pandemic and state health guidelines will look like in May, as well as the status of widespread vaccine distribution, are also factors in the festival board’s decision.”

Read the full story on LATimes.com.