MAPLEWOOD, NJ — With both sadness and optimism, the organizers of Maplewoodstock have announced that the annual music festival is being postponed to Oct. 2 and 3.
“While we are all encouraged by the fact that vaccines are now being rolled out, we are also concerned about the variants that are surfacing,” the Maplewoodstock Volunteer Committee announced. “Obviously, these thoughts are with us all, regardless of the context; however, with regards to Maplewoodstock, we are cautiously optimistic that come October we will be able to put on the event, even if it may be a bit different than in prior years.Of course, all of this depends on the federal, state and local mandates that may or may not be in place at that time.”
The organizers acknowledged that, as of Feb. 16, when the announcement was made, it was still too early to say with surety what the state of things will be in October.
“We make this announcement with the understanding that we still may need to cancel the event, but at the same time given the timing of funding, booking acts, getting vendors, ordering merchandise, etc. — which will all be managed differently this year — we need to make certain decisions now,” the announcement read. “We are confident that pushing the event to October will give us the necessary time to make a safe and informed decision.”