Columbia Parks and Recreation Cancels Heritage Festival and Craft Show

(COLUMBIA, MO) -

The 43rd Annual Heritage Festival and Craft Show, which was scheduled to take place Sept. 19-20 at Nifong Park, has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. This decision was made to protect the health and safety of event attendees, vendors, volunteers and the entire community. 

This is one of the larger events sponsored by the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department and includes many partnerships with historical and cultural groups. The two-day historical festival features traditional artisans demonstrating lost arts, entertainment, handmade craft vendors and food trucks. The Heritage Festival annually attracts about 15,000 people. 

Parks and Recreation staff have worked closely with the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services in making facility reopening and programming decisions. The size of the event, along with the difficulty in maintaining social distance, led to the decision to cancel in the interest of public safety. 

Parks and Recreation staff is planning to resume the Heritage Festival on Sept. 18-19, 2021 in part to commemorate Columbia’s Bicentennial celebration. 

For more information, please call Parks and Recreation at 573.874.7460.