2020 Sussex crawfish fest canceled by coronavirus

With worsening coronavirus trends in Louisiana and outdoor gatherings limited to 500 in New Jersey, the 31st annual Crawfish Fest at the Sussex County Fairgrounds has become the latest cancellation in response to the pandemic.

Michael Arnone, who created and founded what was then a small crawfish boil in 1989, announced the festival’s cancellation in a Facebook post on Friday. Held annually in late May, Arnone had pushed back the event to August before ultimately canceling.

“I was really optimistic until about 2 weeks ago,” he posted. “It hurts to have to postpone until 2021.”

The event is now slated to take place from May 21-23 in 2021. Tickets already purchased can be used next year.

The three-day festival, which includes two dozen world-class music acts on three stages, draws an eclectic group of people each year, including children, 30-somethings and older attendees. Last year’s included a crowd of more than 10,000, roughly 1,500 overnight campers and 12,000 pounds of crawfish and jambalaya — two Louisiana favorites.

Arnone is also a Louisiana resident and many of the vendors and artists hail from the southern state, which has seen a strong uptick in cases over the past few days. The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the state had recorded its largest daily coronavirus case spike since April. The state regularly has been reporting 1,000 new positive cases a day with nearly 2,100 reported on Wednesday alone.

On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy added Louisiana to the states where travelers must self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival in New Jersey.

Arnone said he wasn’t sure he and staff could enter New Jersey in seven weeks and also raised concerns over New Jersey’s current regulations allowing just 500 people to gather outdoors, which went into effect on Friday.

With a musical line-up including American blues guitarist Tab Benoit and Grammy Award winner Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Arnone said that “just about” all the acts have confirmed for next year. The schedule is expected to be posted in the coming weeks at www.crawfishfest.com.

Arnone urges those planning to attend next year to book their hotel in advance.

“With your support, we will make it (through) the pandemic on the other side,” Arnone wrote.

The Crawfish Fest made its way to ninth place in the USA Today Top 10 Best Readers’ Choice awards this year for Best Specialty Food Festival. A panel of experts and editors chose the initial nominees with readers determining the top 10 based on popular vote.

Lori Comstock can also be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.