‘Our Super Bowl of the year.’ The impact of canceling the Cherry Blossom Festival

The Cherry Blossom Festival brings in people from all over the world to visit Macon and spend money in the city.

Stacy Moore, the president and CEO of the festival, said in an email that the 2019 festival saw five record days of attendance at Central City Park and the free events were also well-attended.

Because the Cherry Blossom Festival was canceled Friday due to concerns about the coronavirus, restaurants, hotels and other businesses in Macon might not receive the extra revenue the Cherry Blossom Festival guests provide.

“This was an extremely difficult decision to make, but one that we understood was necessary for our organization and for the community. We recognized that even with the plans being made for additional hand washing stations, table and ride cleanings and regular reminders, there would still be a risk by having a large number of people in close proximity with each other,” said Alex Habersham, the board chair of the Cherry Blossom Festival, during a press conference.

The Cherry Blossom Festival has a $10 million-$12 million annual economic impact from a variety of factors including taxes, hotel rooms, food and shopping, according to a University of Georgia study.

“It makes such a phenomenal impact from an entertainment perspective, from a cultural perspective, from a financial perspective,” Habersham said. “The community really looked forward to it.”

Macon’s ‘Super Bowl’

Felicia Howard, owner of Felicia’s Cake Factory and a respiratory therapist, said she’s not sure how the cancellation of the festival will impact her business.

“We do have a lot of people that come out… in front of our business during Cherry Blossom time that kind of trickles over in here, so I’m kind of disappointed that that’s not going to take place,” she said.

Felicia’s Cake Factory, at 365 Third Street, makes mini-cupcakes and a cake for the Founder’s Day Celebration that was scheduled for March 30 this year. Howard said they were also planning to make food for the Macon STEM Festival, which has been postponed.

Although Howard said she is unsure about the impact the festival will have on her business, she said she thinks the board members made the right decision.

“I think it’s a great decision because Cherry Blossom brings people in from all over the world, and then with the coronavirus in place, it’s just important to make sure that the community here is safe,” she said.

Howard hopes with Bibb County School being on spring break during the time of the Cherry Blossom Festival that will give her business a boost in sales, she said. Plus, she receives purchases through online sales.

Howard said she is taking extra precautions to make sure her business stays clean along with other business owners downtown, such as Scott Long, owner of Spud Dogs.

Although Long said they would probably lose the out-of-town visitors’ business without the Cherry Blossom Festival, he believes residents of Macon will still come to his restaurant to eat.

“In many ways, it’s our Super Bowl of the year…. I have a hard time thinking that people are gonna just sit inside and not come out,” Long said. “We might find a blessing in the overflow of people that just gotta get out and get some stuff to eat.”

First time for everything

The festival was canceled for the first time since it originated in 1982, but Habersham said the Cherry Blossom Festival plans to possibly reschedule some of the events.

The full festival has been rescheduled for March 19-28, 2021, and it will be the official 39th Cherry Blossom Festival.

Other organizations, such as the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Festival and school closures, were canceling or postponing events, and Habersham said the board decided unanimously that they could not have the festival without putting the community at risk.

“This festival put this community on the map internationally…. The festival kind of serves as an ambassador for Macon and Bibb County, so people are sad because it’s so much fun,” Habersham said. “This is just a bump. We’ll come back next bigger and better.”

This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "‘Our Super Bowl of the year.’ The impact of canceling the Cherry Blossom Festival."