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2020 Georgia National Fair canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

The Georgia National Fair board met Wednesday and voted to cancel the fair this year

PERRY, Ga. — The 2020 Georgia National Fair will not go on in October as scheduled.

The Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter made the announcement Thursday morning in a news release.

It says the Georgia National Fair board met Wednesday to discuss having the annual event amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, they voted not to hold the fair this year.

"For 30 years we have been able to offer an event for everyone in the family to enjoy, the rides, the entertainment, food and much more. This year, due to growing concerns for the safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and vendors we knew it was going to be tough to move forward as “normal”. We employ roughly 300 part time employees during the Fair month, and due to health concerns many have informed us that they would not be able to join us again this year, making it difficult to host an event of our magnitude in the manner we typically have. This decision has weighed heavily on our minds and hearts as this is the first time in 30 years that the Georgia National Fair will not happen, and much like our Fairgoers, this is a staple of our Fall season.  Although the 2020 Georgia National Fair is unable to happen, we are making plans for the 2021 event and hope that you will make plans to join us then," said CEO Stephen Shimp.

The Georgia National Fair was scheduled to take place Oct. 8-18, 2020.

The fairgrounds announced the musical acts slated to perform back in April, which included Lee Greenwood, 98 Degrees and the Commodores.

The Georgia National Fair is one of several high-profile fall events that attracts thousands annually that has been canceled in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, organizers of the North Georgia State Fair canceled the 2020 fair for the first time since World War II.

In July, organizers of the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration announced a move to an online format, and both Buckarama and the Macon 2020 Christmas Made in the South were canceled.

Outside of Central Georgia, Dragon Con in Atlanta was canceled for the first time in 34 years and the Georgia Renaissance Festival was pushed to spring 2021.

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