Major Fort Worth Food + Wine Extravaganza Moved to Fall Due to Coronavirus Worries

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival is postponing the seventh annual festival which was scheduled to take place the first weekend of April. It will now shift to October 22 to 25 instead.

In consult with the Tarrant County Public Health Department, and in support of overall community health and the drive to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the festival has taken immediate action and decided to reschedule the 2020 festival to the fall.

“We have already secured venues for all our events for these dates in October,” Julie Eastman, festival director, tells PaperCity Fort Worth.

All those holding tickets for the now postponed April dates will have the opportunity to be refunded the purchase price. Purchasers will be notified via email by March 19 with specific instructions on how to request a refund.

A lot has changed in the past 48 hours. The NBA led the wave of professional and collegiate sports shutting down, including the unprecedented outright cancellation of the $2 billion NCAA Tournament. There will be no games and large events for the foreseeable future.

Local school districts followed suit. Dallas Independent School District moved quickly, announcing its decision to cancel all activities and postpone the return from Spring Break. This morning, Fort Worth ISD followed suit announcing cancellations through at least March 27.

Governor Greg Abbott even issued a Disaster Declaration in the state of Texas, joining 34 other states, amid the growing COVID-19 outbreak.

“While the decision to postpone the festival was difficult to make, our board is focused on longterm impact and support of our city,” Russell Kirkpatrick, festival co-founder, says. “Our festival can still be hosted – just later in the year. We look forward to welcoming guests, participants and volunteers in October.”

For ongoing event updates, visit the festival’s FAQ page.