Festival of Lights parade canceled over COVID-19 concerns

There will be no Festival of Lights parade in downtown Columbus this December.

Organizers of the annual event made the announcement over the weekend, saying that they had been monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and with the number of people taking part in the parade, combined with the thousands who would normally attend, they concluded that the parade could become a super-spreader event.

Although the parade, originally scheduled for December 5th, is more than 90 days away, organizers said that those making floats begin their planning and their purchasing as early as Labor Day. Plus, the work on the floats can take hundreds of hours of group effort, leading for another possible cluster of cases of COVID-19. Organizers also said that they feel a responsibility to the sponsors who fund the event, and the downtown businesses that plan special activities surrounding the annual parade.

Finally, organizers aid that they look forward to celebrating the holidays with area families again in 2021.