OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Music festivals around the country are being canceled due to coronavirus concerns and Omaha's own Maha is no exception.
Organizers say Maha, which was scheduled August 5-8, will not happen this year. Instead, resources will be shifted towards next year's festival.
This year, "multi-faceted events throughout Omaha, including a large stretch of local businesses-turned-pop-up venues in the Little Bohemia and Blackstone District neighborhood," were planned to take place as an expanded version of the event.
Organizers said they were unable to confirm if it could be carried out in a scale they envisioned or if it could be carried out at all and made the tough decision to cancel.
“If Maha Festival was forced to cancel later in the season due to circumstances beyond our control, we would have had to refund ticket purchases after already having spent quite a bit on the cost of the event itself. It’s not something our organization could easily come back from,” said Executive Director Lauren Martin. “Canceling now helps ensure that Maha can return in 2021, and for years to come.”
The festival's attendance was about 14,500 people last year.