Organizers of the annual National Fried Chicken Festival have decided to postpone the popular event at the Lakefront Arena Festival Grounds a week over concerns about severe weather.
The announcement, made late Tuesday night, said the festival will now be held Oct. 9-11.
“The decision was made with the safety of festival guests, participating restaurants, artists, vendors, staff and partners as the top priority, while also considering the significant investment required of the more than 40 restaurants preparing to serve tens of thousands of guests throughout the weekend,” event organizers said.
Forecasters have warned a that moist, humid air mass is expected to move in from the Gulf over the weekend and that severe storms and street flooding is possible.
The festival, now in its 10th year, rose very quickly to popularity after debuting downtown and is now three days long and sponsored by Raising Cane’s.
Tuesday’s announcement noted that many of the restaurants participating are small, independently owned businesses and that “moving forward under the threat of severe weather could place an unnecessary financial burden on the local businesses at the heart of the event.”
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but ultimately, it was in the best interest of everyone involved,” said Cleveland Spears III, the festival’s founder and executive producer. “Our responsibility extends beyond putting on a great festival. We have a responsibility to protect our guests and the hundreds of people who make this event possible, including the independent restaurant owners who make significant investments to participate each year. After a difficult summer for our local restaurant community, we want to do everything we can to set them up for a successful weekend rather than asking them to take an unnecessary financial risk.”
The First Course dinner will still take place on Thursday, as originally scheduled, inside the Lakefront Arena.
All purchased tickets will automatically be honored for the new dates, and guests need not take any action, organizers said. Ticket holders who can no longer attend on the new dates should contact support@friedchickenfestival.com.
Additional festival updates will be available at FriedChickenFestival.com and through the festival’s official social media channels.
Dining and Cooking