Remaining 'Waterfront Wednesdays' canceled due to COVID-19

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The two remaining Waterfront Wednesday concerts have been canceled due to COVID-19.

The news was announced in a press release Wednesday afternoon from the producers of the concert series, 91.9 WFPK Independent Louisville and Waterfront Park.

"This was a difficult decision, especially because it felt so good to be together with our community after more than a year of lockdown and pandemic isolation," Louisville Public Media President Stephen George said in a statement. "At this critical moment in the pandemic, we need to prioritize the safety of the artists, staff and the public."

The last two concerts would have been held on Sept. 8 and Sept. 22. Artists Dawn Richard, Bendigo Fletcher and Kiana & the Sun Kings were scheduled to perform on Sept. 8. The Sept. 22 concert was supposed to include Low Cut Connie and Wombo.

"We are grateful we were able to produce four amazing Waterfront Wednesdays this year," Deborah Bilitski, executive director of Waterfront Park said in a statement. "We regret that we are unable to finish out the season, and look forward to seeing everyone in 2022."

George told WDRB News on Friday that this decision was one of the most difficult he's had to make in the past 18 months.

"I hated to have to do it, but I felt like it was the right thing to do given the situation we're in now," he said.

George said the first show of the 2021 season this summer drew more than 20,000 people.

"As case counts continue to rise, hospitalization continued to rise, and we saw more and more difficultly from a public health perspective," George said. "We saw the crowd go down some too."

He's hopeful '"Waterfront Wednesdays" will be able to return in 2022.