Clearly, the year and months following March 2020 were difficult in ways none of us may have imagined. But they did present a number of gifts to our festival team, namely: time and perspective. Despite making the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 festival, the gift of time allowed us to consider what the festival is, and what it can be.
Absent the press of organizing a multi-day, 100+ event program, we had time to focus anew on our local relationships and executed virtual experiences + hybrid events with our partners and talent. We hosted our first ever series of virtual festival programming, and eight digital campaigns put a spotlight on our local culinary + hospitality industry; encouraged the community to patronize our local bars + restaurants; and celebrated the people who work in them. While we may have not been able to gather in the tents + on the streets this year, 2021 gave us a new way to “fest.”