PEORIA, Ill. – Organizers of Red, White, and Boom have decided to outright cancel the 2020 event.
Officials on May 1 postponed the July 4 event, with the hopes of holding it around Labor Day if the coronavirus situation improved enough to where it would be safe to have a gathering as large as the one “Boom” brings, typically around 200,000 people, according to officials.
Being in phase 4 of Restore Illinois now, organizers could not anticipate going to phase 5 in time for that to happen, according to Midwest Communications General Manager Mike Wild.
“We just didn’t see the potential for us to be able to be in the right phase to be able to hold the event this fall,” Wild said.
Current COVID-19 metrics and trends were factors in the decision to cancel this year.
Wild said a commitment to purchase the fireworks for Red, White and Boom 2020 had not been made prior to postponing the event in May.
If “Boom” were to be held in the fall, pyrotechnics would need to be ordered in the near future to make that happen.
“The fireworks people would need about 60 days or so to put a show together. So, if we were going to do something in or around Labor Day, well that’s an at least mid-July decision,” Wild said.
Planning for next year’s Red, White and Boom event has already begun.
“Going forward, we’ve kind of set our sights on making this bigger and better in 2021 and making sure we bring a great event then. But, we’re just not going to be able to make that happen in 2020,” Wild said.
