Jackson Free Press

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (AP) — The 2020 edition of “Mississippi's Giant Houseparty” is being canceled because of concern about the coronavirus pandemic.

Directors of the Neshoba County Fair said in a statement Wednesday that they've been consulting with public health officials and determined it would not be possible to ensure that people “safely and effectively” follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.

“For these reasons, the unfortunate decision has been made to cancel the Fair with no plans to reschedule it in 2020,” the board said.

The fair typically attracts tens of thousands of people to the red clay hills of east central Mississippi. Extended groups of families and friends live in cabins on the campgrounds for more than a week, and crowds are even larger on the two days that politicians speak under the main pavilion on the fairgrounds. The fair also has a midway, musical performances and horseracing.

This year's fair was supposed to take place July 24-31. The fair dates back to the 1890s and has previously been canceled only during World War II.