Tempe 4th of July Celebration Canceled Again

TEMPE, AZ —Tempe residents will have to find a different way to celebrate the Fourth of July this year.

For the second year in a row, the city of Tempe and the Kiwanis Club have canceled Tempe Town Lake's annual Fourth of July event because of the coronavirus pandemic. The celebration typically brings in over 100,000 people, according to a news release.

"Though we are disappointed that the July 4 celebration will not take place in 2021, public health remains at the heart of every decision we make,” Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said in a statement. “So much uncertainty remains regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. An event of this scale is very difficult to plan without any public health assurances.”

Organizers cited uncertain commitments from business sponsors and changing public health guidelines as two major reasons for canceling the celebration. But Tempe and the Kiwanis Club hope to hold a scaled-back version of the event if the pandemic is less dire by June.

“We hope that a scaled-back celebration can still be held, if stay-at-home guidelines are lifted by June, but it will not be possible to organize the type of event we are all used to in 2021,” Dick Neuheisel, President of the Kiwanis Club of Tempe, said. “No matter what happens this year, the Kiwanis Club hopes to be back in 2022 with a full-fledged community celebration of our great nation.”

The Tempe Fourth of July event is one of the most well-attended in Arizona, with proceeds from ticket and food sales going to local children's charities each year.