Visit Sacramento announced today that due to COVID-19, the organization will be canceling the annual Farm-to-Fork Festival events in September 2020, which include Legends of Wine, the Farm-to-Fork Street Festival on Capitol Mall and the Tower Bridge Dinner. Visit Sacramento plans to resume the full series of events in the fall of 2021.
“The Farm-to-Fork Festival events have become a tradition in our community, have generated national press for our city, and have attracted people from across the country to play tourist in Sacramento,” said Visit Sacramento President & CEO Mike Testa. “We know this is a disappointment not just for the attendees, but the farmers, chefs, restaurateurs and many other vendors and hospitality workers who take part in the festival every year. We look forward to coming back together to celebrate Sacramento as America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital in 2021.”
Even without hosting the Festival events this year, Visit Sacramento is working to ensure that the food and agricultural community will still be recognized – and supported. A portion of the proceeds from the Tower Bridge Dinner typically go to fund scholarships for CAMP students at Sacramento State, who are the children of migrant farmworkers. In the absence of ticket proceeds, Farm-to-Fork Festival sponsor Bank of America in Sacramento has stepped in to cover the scholarships in 2020. The team at Visit Sacramento also plans to work with the local restaurant community to develop an alternative way for diners to experience farm-to-fork cuisine during September, with specific details to come.
Visit Sacramento started the Farm-to-Fork Festival events in 2013. Since its inception, the Festival has grown to attract thousands of residents and visitors and become one of the most anticipated festivals of its kind on the West Coast.
