Bellefonte Victorian Christmas Canceled Due to New COVID Restrictions

BELLEFONTE — Another local favorite event has been canceled due to COVID-19, as Bellefonte Victorian Christmas has announced it will take the year off.

Organizers for the event had been working to find a safe way to hold the event outdoors with social distancing and masks Dec. 11-12, but Gov. Tom Wolf’s latest mitigation measures announced on Nov. 23 left them no options.

“Due to the Governor’s COVID-19 Guidelines of November 23, 2020, we have no choice but to cancel the event this year. We will take all the hard work and preparation put into this year’s event and make our 2021 Bellefonte Victorian Christmas worth waiting for. We wish you and your family a healthy and blessed Christmas,” said a statement on the event website.

The new order included stricter occupancy limits for indoor and outdoor events, capping outdoor occupancy to up to 2,500 people.

The annual Christmas event is a Bellefonte tradition that celebrates its Victorian history, with events on the streets and in venues throughout town including dinners, an arts and crafts show, Christmas concerts, horse-drawn carriage rides and more. This year was to be the 39th edition of the event.

For months, organizers had worked with the borough to find a way to hold the event in a safe way, following all the latest COVID-19 guidelines. The new regulations left no options but to cancel.

In a year like no other, Bellefonte Victorian Christmas is just the latest event that had to alter plans due to the ongoing pandemic. Many events have moved to a virtual platform, such as First Night State College, but Bellefonte Victorian Christmas has announced no such plans.