Maritime Gig Festival Canceled Due To COVID-19 Concerns

GIG HARBOR, WA — The Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce has made the difficult choice to cancel the upcoming Maritime Gig Festival.

Normally, the festival takes place annually in June, but had been postponed to this weekend due to pandemic concerns. Unfortunately, even a postponement couldn't save it, as organizers says rising COVID-19 case counts are just too unsafe for the festival to go on.

“The Maritime Gig Festival is the largest and most popular family-friendly event in Gig Harbor, and we were excited to bring the community back together this summer to celebrate the reopening of local businesses and reconnecting with our residents,” said Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Warren Zimmerman. “We are very concerned about the health and safety of our community members, performers, vendors, volunteers and staff, and that is why we decided that canceling was the right thing to do.”

The festival had been set to begin Saturday, and would've included all the traditional staples like the Grand Parade, a Pancake Breakfast, Regatta and everything else residents have come to expect from the yearly event.

Unfortunately, chamber representatives say the rapidly-spreading delta variant of COVID-19 puts the community at risk, and Pierce County is currently grappling with some of the highest COVID-19 case rates it has ever seen. As of their latest update, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department calculates that the county's 14-day case for July 28 - Aug. 8 was 434.6 COVID-19 cases per every 100,000 residents.

Local health leaders continue to urge residents who have yet to get vaccinated to come out and get their shots. Though the delta variant spreads much more rapidly than the previous COVID-19 strain, all three vaccines appear to be successful at preventing severe disease symptoms.

As for the Maritime Gig Festival, organizers say it will return better than ever next year.

“We look forward to celebrating local heritage and our community when it is once again safe to do so," Zimmerman said. "Mark your calendars for June 4th & 5th, 2022 and join us for Maritime Gig”.