Lakewood SummerFEST Canceled, Other Events Delayed

LAKEWOOD, WA — For the first time in more than two decades, Fort Steilacoom Park will not host SummerFEST this year.

The city announced Wednesday that, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the size of the SummerFEST crowds, they have made the difficult choice to cancel the event to keep everyone safe. The city says last year nearly 50,000 people attended SummerFEST, and there was no way a crowd of that size would allow enough personal space to avoid spreading the virus.

In a release announcing the cancellation the city apologized to those who will miss out this summer:

"While we are sad that we won’t be able to celebrate the summer with our residents, we know that this was the right decision needed at this time to keep our community healthy."

The city has also announced the cancellation of the new Lakewood Night Market. 2020 was supposed to be the market's first year, but now city leaders say it'll begin in earnest next year. They say by 2021, they hope to have an even bigger grand opening planned.

Also cancelled is the Ray Evens Memorial Fishing event planned for May 18. That event will return to American Lake Park next summer.

Meanwhile, the National Night Out has been postponed to early October. National Night Out is an opportunity to connect communities with their local law enforcement officers. It is normally planned for the first Tuesday of August.

There is one silver lining: the Lakewood Farmers Market will open next month after all. City leaders say the farmers market is an essential service and will be allowed to open sometime this June, but with a few changes. They say the market will likely be a little smaller to allow for social distancing and will only feature farm stands at first. The city says more information about the market, including the start date and possibly a new location, will be announced soon.