VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For a while it looked like one of Virginia Beach's most popular events would return after two years of being canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but unfortunately, the Pungo Strawberry Festival will not happen in 2022, organizers announced.
In a statement posted on social media, organizers said that the Strawberry Festival would be canceled for the third year in a row due to "unforeseen circumstances and time constraints to resolve the issues."
It was not made clear what the unforeseen circumstances were. Back in January, the festival put out a call for volunteers to help with the event.
Before the pandemic began in 2020, the Strawberry Festival had been held in Pungo every year since 1984 on Memorial Day weekend. The festival is a celebration of the unofficial start of summer and the area's agricultural heritage.
In 2020 and 2021, festival organizers called it off due to safety and health concerns. Then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's executive orders in 2020 limited public gatherings, while the following year, vaccines were still fairly early in their rollout phase.