As Westchester residents deal with the new normal we all face, several events in Westchester County Parks’ annual Cultural Heritage Celebrations series have been cancelled due to the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
County Executive George Latimer said: “These are some of my favorite events to attend, but right now, we all must put safety first. The Cultural Heritage series is something many of us look forward to, both to celebrate our own personal heritage or to enjoy learning about the food, music, dance and heritage of other cultures that contribute to the great mosaic of Westchester’s population – things that cannot be done while keeping a safe distance.”
Each year, thousands of Westchester residents gather at these colorful and lively festivals at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla and Ridge Road Park in Hartsdale. These celebrations, of all heritages, attract far too many residents to abide by safety guidelines handed down the National Center for Disease Control and New York State.
Festivals cancelled so far are:
• Polish Heritage Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, Sunday, May 17
• Asian Heritage Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, Saturday, June 6
• Albanian Heritage Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, Sunday, June 7
• Portuguese Heritage Festival – Ridge Road Park, Sunday, June 7
• Irish Heritage Festival – Ridge Road Park, Saturday, June 27
• African American Heritage Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, June28
• Hispanic Heritage Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, Sunday, July 12
Festivals on hold are:
• Italian Heritage Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, Sunday, July 19
• Heritage of India Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, Sunday, Aug. 2
• Ecuadorian Festival – Croton Point Park, Sunday, Aug. 9
• Jewish Heritage Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, Sunday, Aug. 16
• Muslim Heritage Festival – Kensico Dam Plaza, Sunday Aug. 23
“With thousands of people coming to a festival at a park, we simply don’t have a way to assure proper social distancing, especially with the nature of these events that involve food and craft sales, gathering to enjoy performances and other actions that cause closer contact,” County Executive Latimer said.
The Parks Department will evaluate the scheduling all community events throughout the summer and into the fall. Any additional cancellations, postponements or rescheduling will be posted at parks.westchestergov.com.
