Ribfest held its inaugural soiree last June and, with close to 10,000 people taking part over the three-day event, it easily looked to become an annual event in Prince George.
That was until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Organizers, the Rotary clubs and Pacific Western Brewing, announced Friday that the event is cancelled this year.
“It is not a decision that was made lightly,” said Rachelle Delorey, Rotary Club president. “However, both partners in the event have decided the best course of action is to cancel Prince George Ribfest 2020. We have been monitoring the situation regarding COVID-19 very closely for over a month now, and we fully recognize the importance of focusing on the health and safety of our community and to continue to follow the orders of B.C.’s Provincial Medical Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. Despite the landscape ahead being not totally clear, what we do understand is that even in a best-case scenario, it still may not be advisable to host events with gatherings of larger than 50 people come Father’s Day weekend, when Ribfest was planned for. Everyone involved in Ribfest want to be sure we are doing our part in flattening the curve.”
The event, featuring some of the nation’s best ‘ribbers,’ was slated for June 19-21 at Pacific Western Brewing’s property on the the banks of the Nechako River.
“The entire Prince George Ribfest organizing team want to thank all of our incredible sponsors, and fantastic vendors who committed to supporting our event again this year,” said Kyle Sampson of Pacific Western Brewing. “The folks at the Nechako Rotary Club are very dedicated to being active and contributing members of our community, and on behalf of our entire team at Pacific Western Brewing we want to thank them all for being such great partners in this event. It is all of our hope and plan that we will see Prince George Ribfest return again in the future.”