FILE. The West Coast Amusements midway at Westside Daze on Saturday, June 28, 2014

(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

A West Kelowna community staple has been cancelled, and it’s likely to be the first of just a series of Okanagan summer events packing it in for the year.

“It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce that Westside Daze and the annual Canada Day Celebration is cancelled for 2020 due to Dr Henry advice on Saturday,” Westside Daze organizers announced though social media on Saturday, April 18.

“Don’t fear because we will be back in full force for 2021.”

Last year, the Westside’s annual festival moved away from Canada Day weekend into the second weekend in July so it could still have a midway. It's unlikely the midway will make an appearance in the Okanagan this summer.

Another community event set to run sooner than the others, Rutland May Days, has already pulled the plug on this year’s festivities.

“Due to the Covid 19 pandemic the BC CDC has restricted the holding of large events at this time. Therefore, we regretfully announce the cancellation of Rutland’s 61st Annual May Days festival that was to be held May 15 to 17,” reads an announcement from its organizers.

“We would like to reschedule the event to a later time, perhaps September 2020. We will update our vendors and the public as soon as possible.”

These cancellations were a result of provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s latest update on the COVID-19 battle.

“Realistically, we will not be having those big events where people gather together this summer. That is a much riskier prospect than ever before,” Dr. Henry said.

“We'll see in B.C. and globally, those types of events, large parades, large mass gathering where we all come together, those will not be happening this summer.”

Smaller scale and more personal gatherings will also likely be curtailed.

“Those family celebrations when we spend time together, wedding and parties, where we share food and we hug and where we care for each other in a very close way, unfortunately right now those are the things that are risky,” Henry said.

“We need to start thinking about planning small events.”

Festivals Kelowna puts on the Kelowna Canada Day celebration and earlier this month they were tentatively still planning to have some sort of event though it’s not likely now.

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