BENTONVILLE, Arkansas — On Thursday (Oct. 1), Downtown Bentonville Inc. (DBI) announced that its remaining 2020 “First Friday” events will not take place this year.
Cancelations include October “Adrenaline” First Friday and the popular, pre-holiday “Toyland” First Friday.
The office of the Governor announced on Thursday that there were 7,009 active COVID-19 cases in Arkansas, and of those, 372 are in Benton County.
"We’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of our First Friday season for 2020, including Toyland," said DBI Executive Director Andrew Heath. "Our top priorities are the health and safety of our community. While we are very disappointed, we feel that this is in the best interest of our community, visitors, and staff. We are hard at work planning other ways to bring you cheer this holiday season so stay tuned!"
Both large, outdoor gatherings will not take place for the 2020 season amid COVID-19 safety concerns
DBI will be pivoting to smaller, curated events for October, November and December. Event details will be announced soon.
With continued guidance to stay six feet away from others whenever possible, the popularity of Bentonville’s First Friday events with an average attendance of 5,000 guests, makes following this guidance extremely challenging.
In addition to the planned smaller events, Heath says the organization will announce upcoming virtual events and video series, soon.
Watch: First Friday on Bentonville Square
