Daffodil Festival is ‘cautiously proceeding’ with April 4 parade despite possible coronavirus ban
Daffodil Parade organizers are “cautiously proceeding” with the annual event on April 4, despite a ban on large public gatherings that could be extended into April, they announced late Wednesday evening.
The Daffodil Festival board of directors held an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss a possible postponement of the event, hours after Gov. Jay Inslee announced the ban on public gatherings and events of more than 250 people in Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties as the state tries to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The Grand Floral Parade draws thousands of participants and onlookers every year as it winds through Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Orting.
“The health of our participants and the general public is our first priority,” said Ernie Ouellettee, board president. “We will be in constant touch with state and local health professionals.”
The April 4 parade would come after the governor’s ban expires on April 1. However, Inslee said Wednesday that the ban could continue into April.
“It is very likely that (the ban) will be extended beyond March,” Inslee said.
Inslee specifically mentioned parades as one type of event that cannot be held while the ban is in place.
“We do not want people shoulder to shoulder,” Inslee said.
The Dafodil Festival began in 1926 and the first parade was held in 1934. The parade has been an unbroken annual tradition since 1946. It took 1943-1945 off during World War II.
If the parade is postponed it would have to be held at least two weeks from its original date.
“We can’t do it the following weekend because that’s Easter weekend,” Ouellettee said.
The Daffodil princesses are still performing their public duties, he said.
“They’re still reading to children in libraries and that kind of thing,” Ouellettee said.
The Queen’s Coronation event on March 22 is being modified to meet current health and safety regulations, festival organizers said Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot postponed the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parades scheduled for this weekend, according to the Chicago Tribune. An alternative date was not given.
St. Patrick’s Day parades in New York City, Boston, Denver and Dublin have also been canceled.
