Organizers Agree To Cancel 'Bartoberfest' In Belmar

BELMAR, NJ - Belmar officials have convinced the organizers of "Bartoberfest" to cancel the event.

"Thank you to Shore Point Distributors for agreeing to cancel their Oct. 21 bar crawl in Belmar," Mayor Matt Doherty posted on Twitter this morning. "We appreciate them working with our town."

The event would have occurred on Oct. 21, with eight bars participating. But borough officials said earlier this week they hadn't been notified of the event before it was advertised. They also said it would have caused safety concerns for police and lacked a permit.

Belmar attorney Gregory Cannon sent a letter to the president of Wall-based beer and wine distributor Shore Point Distributing and Ucrawl Bar Crawl in Asbury Park earlier this week that the borough wanted the event canceled.

Both organizations took down any advertising related to the event today on their respective websites.

“The presence of hundreds, possibly thousands, of intoxicated visitors walking and crossing borough streets and state highways without sufficient advance warning to the borough police department creates an enormous public safety risk in our town,” Cannon wrote earlier this week in a letter to Shore Point, according to an earlier report in tapinto.net.“The borough’s paramount concern is public safety when it comes to these types. “Your failure to abide by the borough code will undoubtedly create risks for the public should the event go forward."

Doherty tweeted on Oct. 11 that although the two organizations were planning the event, it was "not happening."

Photo: Courtesy of belmar.com