Southern Decadence scraps 2021 events amid COVID-19 concerns – WDSU New Orleans

Add one more to the list of New Orleans celebrations canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Southern Decadence festival, billed as the city’s largest gay event, will go without most of its major gatherings until 2022. Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office confirmed Saturday.”We can confirm that Southern Decadence canceled the Parade, Tasting, Bourbon Extravaganza, and Block Party on Rampart,” spokesperson John Lawson said in a statement to WDSU.The cancellation comes as little surprise in the French Quarter, but neighborhood bartenders and patrons say the news still hurts.”I’m very upset about it,” Good Friends Bar customer Michael Polozola said. “It’s something I enjoy doing every year.”The celebration had been scheduled for Sep. 2 though Sep. 6.”I still had some hope that maybe things would be better in just a few weeks,” patron Russell Wolfe said. “I still had some hope that maybe things would be better in just a few weeks. But it’s too late for that.”Over at Cafe Lafitte in Exile, bartender Jason Sanders says the city’s oldest continuously operating gay bar has relied on the festival for at least 10% of its yearly revenue.”The bars rely on it, just like they do Mardi Gras, JazzFest, all of the festivals and celebrations,” he said. “We’re trying to stay positive.”Southern Decadence’s longtime revelers expect smaller gatherings will take the festival’s place. And bartenders expect to serve them, as long as they show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test.”It’s New Orleans,” Bourbon Pub & Parade bartender Alex Duke said. “You can’t stop her.”Organizers with Southern Decadence did not answer WDSU’s requests for comment, as of deadline.Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office praised the event’s cancellation Saturday. In a statement to WDSU, a city hall spokesperson cited the latest wave of COVID cases.”As we have recently seen with events that are known to attract large crowds, organizers of the traditional Southern Decadence Events have also decided to cancel their events this year due to the health and safety concerns posed by the current surge in COVID cases. The safety of all people should be everyone’s top priority, so we believe the organizers made the right call, and we look forward to all events returning next year, including the celebration of Southern Decadence’s 50th Anniversary.”Organizers held their first Southern Decadence events in 1972.Other New Orleans events canceled due to the pandemic this year include: Beignet Fest, BUKU Planet B, the French Quarter Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Red Dress Run, Voodoo Fest and White Linen Night.