Yet another cigar festival has been forced to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as today Casa de Montecristo announced that it is canceling the 2020 Tampa Cigar Bash, which had been set for October.
The retailer delayed putting tickets on sale in hopes of the pandemic situation improving enough to move forward with the event. The event was expecting upwards of 800 ticketed attendees, plus numerous people from the cigar industry, as well as additional vendors.
In an email to customers on Friday, the store said that it had been closely monitoring the guidance of public health officials and government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, and it was only after “careful and thoughtful consideration” that the decision was made to cancel the event.
“The well-being and safety of our guests, associates, and community is our top priority, and given the information and guidance provided surrounding large gatherings we have had to make this difficult decision to cancel this year’s event,” the store wrote.
This is the second event hosted by Casa de Montecristo that has been canceled this year, as the Texas Cigar Festival was canceled in June, along with JR Cigar’s Smokin’ in the Carolinas event.
Several other events geared towards cigar consumers have also been canceled in recent weeks, including Espinosa Premium Cigars’ La Zona Palooza, which was slated for December. RoMa Craft Tobac also recently decided to postpone its WeaselFest event from Labor Day Weekend to Memorial Day Weekend in 2021.
A separate event, the Cigar Heritage Festival, held in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood and slated for Dec. 6, was recently confirmed as still happening as scheduled.