Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival cancelled due to COVID-19 surge

The Jonesboro Advertising and Promotion Commission’s Downtown Jonesboro BBQ and Music festival has been canceled for the second straight year due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths, according to festival organizers.

Festival organizers said while it is disappointing, it is the responsible thing to do with the current exponential growth of new cases throughout Northeast Arkansas.

Craighead County has 1,093 active cases, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. At least 197 people have died from the disease in the county which is a 13 person jump from a little more than a week ago. Greene County has 483 active cases and 83 reported deaths, while Crittenden County has 402 active cases with 102 deaths.

Mississippi County has 217 active cases and 113 reported deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020. Poinsett County has 232 active cases with 87 deaths.

This year’s event would have been the 13th annual festival, which includes the Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned Arkansas State Championship and a Friday night Steak Cookoff. The Kansas City Barbecue Society is the largest barbecue organization in the world.

The festival regularly includes two nights of music on the Ritter Communication Stage and a Saturday filled with food and craft vendors, two stages of music, and activities for children.

In recent years, the festival has seen FUEL, Smash Mouth, Scotty McCreery, Brett Michaels, Brothers Osborne, The Commodores, Lee Brice, .38 Special, Rick Springfield, Easton Corbin and Night Ranger perform.