The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on Weston’s fall and winter events, with the 2020 Applefest and Candlelight Homes Tours both cancelled.
The Weston Chamber of Commerce voted earlier this month to cancel both festivals and replace them with alternative, hopefully safer events.
“It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost everything about celebrating the fall season in large groups,” the chamber stated in a promotional email last week. “That’s why our traditional Applefest is taking place as a series of weekend events throughout the season instead of a single event.”
The “Fall in Love with Weston” campaign will feature small promotional events intended to draw travelers to Weston each weekend for shopping and dining at existing merchants and restaurants.
Committees are being formed to create themed weekends to replace Applefest, where on top of safety concerns, vendor applications were more than cut in half due to the pandemic.
The annual Candlelight Homes Tour will be replaced with a “Holiday Stroll Back in Time” over four weekends beginning in November. Features already in the planning include an exterior decorating contest for homes and downtown merchant windows. Weston’s iconic Father Christmas is also scheduled to return.