According to the Indiana Festivals Association, over 600 festivals are held across the state every year.
But many of these events and festivals have been canceled or revised since the pandemic. According to The Bloomington Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Erin Predmore, these cancellations will cost the local economy millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Since April, nearly 20 large events listed on the Visit Bloomington website have been canceled. Some of these include the Little 500 Bike Race, Arts Fair On The Square, and the Monroe County Fair.
“The economic impact is pretty significant," Predmore says. "It’s in the millions of dollars every time we don’t have one of those events and it really does impact our service industry businesses–our hotels and our restaurants, and it trickles down.”
Predmore says while many festivals were canceled, others like Taste of Bloomington did adapt to occur in some capacity.
She adds though many of these festivals will be back after the pandemic, these events contribute to overall quality of life in southern Indiana, and people will miss the in-person interaction this year.
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