July 10, 2020

By Taylor Smith | Director of Communications

The Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Oktoberfest Festival, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival was originally scheduled for September 25-27, 2020.

“The Oktoberfest committee explored all options in which to hold this beloved annual event, but at the end of the day it was clear that being able to abide by county guidelines and include adequate social distancing, sanitation and public health support in a festival environment was going to be incredibly challenging,” Oktoberfest Chair Lynn Hinkle said. “Positive cases continue to rise in Jackson County and the safety of our guests, entertainers, volunteers and staff was our primary concern when faced with making this decision.”

“Oktoberfest is a rich tradition in the Lee’s Summit community and has always been an economic driver, not only for the Chamber but for the local business community. Not hosting the event doesn’t just impact our organization, but those businesses that have always benefited from the festival,” LS Chamber President Matt Baird said. “We encourage our residents and visitors to find ways to support our entire business community so that they can continue to thrive during these challenging times and celebrate with us next September during Oktoberfest 2021.”

The Oktoberfest Committee is working hard to put together alternative events that will benefit our community, have the same goal in mind but will be easier to control in our current environment. New event opportunities will be released in the weeks ahead.

We encourage you to stay connected and to look for updates from the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce by visiting lschamber.com and our social media channels.

We look forward to celebrating with you by raising a “victory toast” come Oktoberfest 2021!