The Abbotsford International Airshow has been cancelled for 2020.
Organizers made the announcement on Monday (May 4) morning stating that the show will be unable to run this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Facebook page did say they plan to return for 2021.
The event was scheduled to run from Aug. 7 to 9 later this summer.
It is the first time since 1998 that the airshow will not fly in the skies of Abbotsford in the summer.
According to organizers, the primary goal of the Airshow Society every year is to produce an event that is safe for all spectators and participants. They stated that the decision to postpone the 2020 Airshow is necessary to support the health and safety of these individuals and our community as a whole.
“It had been our hope that by August, the spread of COVID-19 would be minimized and our event would be able to proceed,” stated Jim Reith, President of the Abbotsford International Airshow Society in a press release. “We were hopeful that the Airshow could be something positive for the community to look forward to, but it has become clear that preventative health measures such as social distancing are going to continue to be necessary beyond our scheduled event dates.”
“We want to thank our sponsors, partners and patrons for their continued support during this unprecedented and difficult time. We know our fans will be disappointed, but we look forward to bringing Canada’s National Airshow back to the skies over Abbotsford in 2021.”
Current ticket holders will have their tickets honoured at the 2021 event or will be given the option of requesting a refund. Further information and instructions will be sent directly to ticket holders by email within the next few days.
For more information, visit abbotsfordairshow.com.
RELATED: Abbotsford moving to ‘virtual’ Canada Day celebration
