Wantagh Winter Wonderland 2020 Canceled, Organizers Say

WANTAGH, NY — Wantagh will not become a Winter Wonderland this year.

Last winter, Santa Claus, a holiday trolley, a 40-foot Christmas tree, festive decorations and pizza came to Wantagh as part of the second annual Winter Wonderland. The event coincided with Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30.

But this year, Winter Wonderland joined countless other parades, fireworks shows and festivals forced to take a gap year.

"Unfortunately, we have not heard back from [Nassau] County about having the Winter Wonderland again this year," Cathy McGrory Powell, president of the Wantagh Chamber of Commerce, wrote in a Facebook post Monday. "We are going to have to cancel it for 2020, hoping to maybe do something in the Spring."

Organizers said they will still hold a blessing ceremony for a menorah and a tree-lighting. Further details on those events weren't immediately released.

"With indoor seating still being regulated, many have taken to the outdoors. The Fire Marshal has sent their guidelines to the Nassau Council of Chambers. If you would like these rules, please email me at President@wantaghchamber.com, and I will email them to you," McGrory said.

A Facebook message seeking further details wasn't immediately returned.

As Patch has extensively reported, numerous events and festivals have been forced to close this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. That includes St. Patrick's Day parades, Fourth of July fireworks shows, performances at the Nassau Coliseum, and even Broadway shows.

The 37th annual Oyster Festival in Oyster Bay — a massive, two-day event that draws an estimated 150,000 people each year — was forced to completely reinvent itself this year. Organizers moved it to virtual to keep attendees safe, including the popular oyster shucking contest.

Many towns over the summer also launched drive-in movie events and concerts, allowing weary Long Islanders to leave their homes in a safe environment and avoid Jack Torrance-like spiral into insanity as seen in the iconic Stephen King film, "The Shining."

Fortunately, cooped-up Long Islanders can get a welcome respite from their homes this holiday season via the annual Magic of Lights drive-through display in Wantagh.