The COVID-19 pandemic has raised questions about the future of festivals, concerts, and local businesses that thrive on tourism to stimulate their business and local economy.

Apple Festive, held Sept. 28 – Oct. 4 in Ithaca, featured a limited farmer’s market with six vendors, on alternating days, to make sure there was enough space to remain more than six feet apart. Visitors could also walk along the Ithaca Commons to find art galleries set up in local businesses and try apple-themed food and drinks at over 15 different restaurants.
The 38th Annual Apple Harvest Festival was cancelled due to complications related to COVID-19, causing alarm for a number of local businesses and farms.
Scott Rougeau and the special events team at the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, put together this socially-distanced alternative to one of Ithaca’s largest festivals. Rougeau, special events director at the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, said the Alliance understood the impact festivals have on the local economy.
“We knew cancelling Apple Harvest would leave a huge hole for a lot of people, not just our vendors or tourists or locals or students but the shops down here too so we also wanted to honor the festival and remind people that it will continue in some capacity next year regardless of where we are,” Rougeau said.
Rougeau said attendees of the event were required to wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines. There was also strict cleaning protocol.
“We have a health and cleaning log that we’re keeping regularly with everybody,” Rougeau said.

Rougeau also said his team got mixed reactions at the beginning stages of planning Apple Festive, which began mid-August.
“There were certainly concerns about safety and health and everything, but the businesses are hurting too down here and they need foot traffic,” Rougeau said.
Carrie Natale, an employee at Robbie’s Produce and Flowers, said she was excited to have something to do in the community that was safe and outdoors.
“Cancelling Apple Festival was kind of a sad situation for us,” Natale said. “It wasn’t so much about the money aspect of it, it was more about getting out and providing an experience for people. So, by having it for the whole week and spreading it out, it allows people to come and be more safe about it.”
Alan Teeter, owner of A.J. Teeter Farms, said he was initially concerned when Apple Festival was cancelled because it makes up a significant amount of the farm’s yearly income.
“We’ve been coming down here for about 25 years so it was a good source of revenue every fall,” Teeter said. “We were pleased to see they at least had something for the farmers, especially the local farmers.”
Natale said she’s received a positive reaction from farmer’s market visitors.
“People are excited that there’s vendors outside and that they can come and have a little taste of what Apple Fest usually is,” Natale said.

Rougeau said Apple Festive was a trial run for other socially-distant alternatives to some of Ithaca’s annual events, including the Winter Lights Festival.
“We are exploring bringing the Winter Light Festival back in some capacity,” Rougeau said. “It most likely won’t have the silent disco, the glow bar or the parade we were going to have last year but we are going to have the light installations come down and maybe some projection light installations as well.”