The City of Council Bluffs has canceled Loessfest due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Planning for Loessfest requires booking entertainment acts months in advance, and we didn’t know what our COVID-19 numbers would look like by Memorial Day,” said Council Bluffs Parks and Recreation Director Vincent Martorello.
Considering the threat of viral spread and the pandemic’s unpredictability, City officials decided canceling Loessfest was the safest decision.
“As more people get vaccinated, we will start to see activities begin again, and River’s Edge Park will return to a lively gathering place,” said Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh.
Loessfest was established in 2013 and quickly became the community’s traditional kick-off to summer. Taking place over Memorial Day weekend, Loessfest offered a wide array of free events with something for everyone to enjoy. In the first five years, Loessfest brought more than 175,000 people from all over the region to our riverfront. Loessfest was canceled in 2019 due to flooding and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials are hopeful that the festival will return in 2022.
“River’s Edge Park is a point of pride for Council Bluffs, and we look forward to having large events there again soon,” said Mayor Matt Walsh.
River’s Edge Park remains open to the public. For more information on River’s Edge and the recently announced plans for River’s Edge Phase Four, visit councilbluffs-ia.gov/riversedge.