Although the Arts Council’s International Folk Festival was slated to return at the end of this month, the event has been cancelled. 
 

The event would have been the 43rd annual folk festival in the Fayetteville area, powered by Piedmont Natural Gas. The decision came after observing the spike in local COVID-19 cases and deaths. 
 

The Arts Council’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously voted unanimously on the cancellation “in its commitment to preserve public health and safety,” according to a press release from the Council today. The main areas of concern were that, with the challenges of crowd control and foot traffic from the event, COVID-10 exposure could spike. 
 

The Arts Council is hopeful about the return of IFF next year for an in-person, cultural celebration.