SAN ANGELO, Texas — The Cowboy Way Jubilee was looking for a new home and the San Angelo Convention & Visitors Bureau recruited them to come to the Concho Valley.
According to Jubilee owner/producer, Leslei Fisher, the decision to cancel was announced Thursday and the planning has began for a "better and bigger" event in 2021.
The event was initially scheduled from April 30-May 3 at Fort Concho, but was postponed to July 23-26 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.The three-day festival aimed to provide a wild west experience and was to be held for the first time in San Angelo.
Fisher said tickets purchased for the 2020 festival will automatically be rolled over to the 2021 festival, and ticket holders will receive a 2020 T-shirt as a "thank you."
The event included workshops, celebrities, an author round table, as well as the Forsaken Western Film Festival, sponsored by TheWesternChannel.com.
The short film, "Javelina Run," was scheduled to premiere during the festival. Organizers planned to have the premiere on the scheduled July dates, but are unsure it will happen.
Another option organizers are looking into is a virtual premiere, possibly in August. For the premiere, those who have purchased tickets can participate in the event at no charge. For anyone else who wishes to participate, there will be a fee.
According to the San Angelo Convention & Visitors Bureau Leisure and SMERF Sales Manager, Suzanna Valenzuela, the cancellation of the event will have a big impact on the community. Valenzuela said the cancellation resulted in revenue loss for hotel rooms, car rentals, Fort Concho, as well as for local vendors.
The 1,500 rooms that had been blocked off for the festival will be released and hotels will probably allow the guests to cancel, she said. Valenzuela said organizers have already scheduled the annual event for April 2021, and are in the planning stages.
For questions regarding the premiere event or any of the events for 2021, visit CowboyWayJubilee.com, or email cowboywayfest@gmail.com.
