BATON ROUGE - Organizers of the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair announced on Wednesday, Sept. 2, that the event will not be held this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Chairman of the fair, Cliff Barton, said their number one priority is the safety of the fair-goers, volunteers, staff, concessionaires, midway personnel, and everyone involved with the fair project.

"With all that is going on today, safety must take preference and that is why we will not open," Barton stated.

This is only the second time in the fair’s history that it is being canceled. The first time was in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina when the property was used by FEMA as a staging area for equipment to be used in New Orleans.

Organizers of the event say plans are already underway for the fair's return on October 28, 2021.