Lynchburg residents voice their opinions over the canceling of the International Festival

Lynchburg, Virginia – Citizens brought up the topic of the International Festival’s cancellation during the public comment period during Tuesday night’s Lynchburg city council meeting.

“The city was too quick to cancel the festival, and I am sure if this was any other event, the city would have gone through great lengths to keep the event on schedule as planned. But I think the underlying issue is that the International Festival is not valued, as well as the hard work of the various communities connected to it”

Vicente Gonzalez of the Latino Community Center of Lynchburg asserts that the community requires precise explanations for the prompt cancellation of the festival.

“Lynchburg city government needs to make amends with the vendors, performers, and the Lisper community. We need transparency of if sincere threats were made against the festival and the decision making process which resulted in its cancellation.”

Larry Taylor, a council member, stated during a previous meeting that this year’s event must find a way to return.

“We can’t let a group of people stop our citizens from earning income on an event. So we need to bring it back and bring it back as strong as possible this year, because those people lost revenue.”

The precise safety concern that prompted the festival’s cancellation and the rationale for the cancelation recommendation were not discussed by City Council.