Pioneer Day celebration canceled in Salt Lake City

The Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City is pictured on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Days of ’47 committee

SALT LAKE CITY — All of the annual Days of ‘47 Pioneer Day celebrations that pack downtown Salt Lake City every July have been canceled In light of the circumstances imposed by COVID-19 pandemic.

The Days of ‘47 board of trustees met Tuesday morning to make the final decision, choosing to cancel 2020’s parade, rodeo, Pioneers of Progress dinner, sunrise service and pops concert “only after thorough consideration of input from all applicable sources.”

“The board acknowledges conditions may change between now and July, but because considerable work needs to be done in the meantime — much of which involves large groups building floats, etc. — a deadline had to be imposed, and the decision had to be made now,” organizers said in a news release Tuesday.

Lane Summerhays, Days of ‘47 board of trustees president, said the decision was “not taken lightly.” First priority in determining to postpone the events till next year was given to state and local officials’ public health guidelines.

The Days of ‘47 celebration started in 1849, two years after Latter-day Saint pioneers settled in the Salt Lake Valley. An estimated 250,000 people gathered throughout downtown Salt Lake City to watch about 100 floats coast down the street stretching between South Temple and State to Liberty Park in 2019.

The annual Deseret News Marathon and other races held on July 24 have also been canceled.

This story will be updated.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

The Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City is pictured on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Hot air balloons fly over Utah County during America’s Freedom Festival Balloon Fest on Friday, July 5, 2019.

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