Mission Creek Festival canceled for 2020

The fall edition of the Mission Creek Festival has been canceled. Englert Theater plans to hold a full festival in 2021.

The+Englert+Theater+is+seen+closed+on+Wednesday%2C+March+18th%2C+2020.+The+spread+of+coronavirus+in+Johnson+county+has+been+named+a+public+health+emergency.+%28Tate+Hildyard%2FThe+Daily+Iowan.%29

Tate Hildyard

The Englert Theater is seen closed on Wednesday, March 18th, 2020. The spread of coronavirus in Johnson county has been named a public health emergency. (Tate Hildyard/The Daily Iowan.)

Josie Fischels, Summer Editor

After originally postponing for the fall, Englert Theater’s Mission Creek Festival has been canceled entirely for 2020, according to an announcement on Englert’s website Friday.

The theater had previously postponed the annual Mission Creek Festival until September back in March in order to help mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. In April, Englert released Mission Creek Underground, a virtual prequel to the official Mission Creek with some of the featured artists from the original lineup. 

The theater stated that the cancellation comes with their inability to know if they can ensure the health and safety of participants or guarantee that their performers would be available for the fall dates of the festival amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

RELATED: Mission Creek Festival canceled, dates for new event to be announced

“Under these conditions, we cannot design the aesthetically inspiring festival we had hoped to provide,” Englert stated in the announcement. 

Englert stated that it plans to put on a full festival in 2021, although exact dates have yet to be determined. The theater is in the process of creating a short film to be released on digital platforms in the fall, titled “Ghost Creek,” in place of the fall festival.

“The multi-genre movie will include narrative and documentary elements as well as guest performances featuring artists from our community and beyond,” Englert stated in the announcement. “If you enjoyed Mission Creek Underground, this will be the next level.”

For guests who still have tickets for the 2020 Mission Creek Festival, tickets can be converted to a refund, gift certificate, or donation on Englert Theater’s website