Some annual events in South Lake Tahoe canceled or rescheduled due to coronavirus concerns

Submitted by paula on Mon, 04/13/2020 - 5:42pm

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - You can add the 27th annual Renaissance Festival to the list of event casualties brought about by the novel coronavirus. Add the 71st annual Highway 50 Wagon Train and two long-running events will be taking the year 2020 off.

"After speaking with Camp Richardson and the USFS, it is with great sadness that we have come to the very difficult decision; Valhalla Renaissance Faire will not be held in 2020," said Marti MeMiernik, one of the organizers. "This pandemic is unlike any disaster we've experienced. With no clear end to CV19 and continuous sweeping guidelines to avoid large (and now even small) gatherings, we just cannot hold out hope that something will change before June."

They are planning to return the first weekend of June in 2021.

"Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 virus, the board of directors has made the hard decision to cancel the 2020 Highway 50 Wagon Train. This was not an easy decision by any means," said the Highway 50 organization on Facebook. They had planned on camping overnight on the South Shore May 30 and start their annual trek over the summit to Placerville on May 31.

The Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe has rescheduled the popular Tahoe BrewFest to September 26. For tickets and more information, visit https://tahoebrewfest.com/.

The 29th annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride originally set for Sunday, June 7 has been rescheduled to combine with the 18th annual Tour de Tahoe, set for Sunday, September 13, 2020.

On five surrounding mountain passes, the 40th annual Death Ride has been canceled and now planned for July 17, 2021.

The Lake Tahoe Historical Society's Fireside Chat for April 21 is tentatively rescheduled to May 19 but that depends on the coronavirus situation and "shelter in place" conditions at that time.

Though not in South Lake Tahoe but enjoyed by hundreds of locals, Burning Man organizers have decided to not build Black Rock City in 2020 due to concerns of the virus and the travel involved on getting all participates out to the event. They will have a virtual event this year with more information HERE.

- This story was updated to include other events