City of Salisbury cancels 2021 Cheerwine Festival

SALISBURY, N.C. — Organizers of Salisbury’s annual Cheerwine Festival announced on Monday that this year’s event has been canceled.

“We’ve been monitoring the situation closely and have decided to cancel this year’s festival in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in the event,” Salisbury City Manager W. Lane Bailey said in a news release. “This was not an easy decision, but following increased and overwhelming concerns, we feel this is the best way to proceed during our current situation.”

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In January, organizers were hopeful to host an in-person event when they pushed the date from May 15 to Sept. 18.

The 2020 event was held virtually and featured live musical entertainment for fans to enjoy from home.

Joy Ritchie Harper, vice-president of marketing for Cheerwine and fifth-generation founding family member, said: “We’re grateful to all our fans who have attended in the past or planned to join us this year. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Salisbury in May 2022 when the festival returns.”

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Cox Media Group