HOLLAND — The Tulip Time Festival has been canceled, making it the largest Holland-area event to get nixed due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

This year will mark the first time the Tulip Time Festival will not take place in full since World War II.

Tulip Time officials made the announcement Monday after lengthy meetings in the past several days.

The event, which draws 300,000-500,000 visitors each year, generates an estimated $48 million in economic impact to the Holland community annually; it was scheduled to take place May 2-10.

But with federal and state guidelines ordering a hiatus on large gatherings until at least mid-April, the festival will not be held in Holland this year.

“It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we share this news. Our team has spent the last 11 months planning our 91st celebration and we are heartbroken not to see our work come into fruition,” said Gwen Auwerda, executive director of the Tulip Time Festival, in a statement.

The decision was made to avoid spreading the coronavirus, otherwise know as COVID-19.

It is with heavy hearts we share the 91st Tulip Time Festival has officially been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. We take this time as an opportunity to protect our community while reimagining the festival for years to come.



Read more:https://t.co/26qIF2s5F8pic.twitter.com/jfyRy7WKvo

— Tulip Time Festival (@Tulip_Time)March 16, 2020

“Most of our volunteer base and 45 percent of our festival guests represent populations most vulnerable to infection," Auwerda said. "We also cannot ignore the two large and beloved retirement homes located right in the center of festival activity in downtown Holland.

“This was not a decision taken lightly. We understand the huge financial impact the festival brings not only to our organization, but to small businesses, hotels and local attractions every year.”

As of Monday afternoon, there were 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan, including one patient at Holland Hospital.

The city of Holland canceled St. Patrick's Day events late last week.

That followed an order by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to close public schools for three weeks, dine-in restaurants were ordered to cease and gatherings of 250 people or more were banned for at least a month.

Holland Mayor Nathan Bocks said the festival's cancellation is disappointing but ultimately the right decision.

“Obviously it’s very disappointing that they had to make that decision but it's very understandable," he said. "...I think when the (Center for Disease Control) announced the guidelines of no more than 50 people together, when you do the math it became inevitable."

Bocks hopes Holland residents continue to support Tulip Time despite the festival not taking place in 2020.

“I am very hopeful that the community will rally around Tulip Time," Bocks said. "It’s an institution in this community. It will be a big financial hit to them and the community as a whole, but Holland is a great community and we will get behind them."

Joe Nelis, co-owner of Dutch Village in Holland, understands Tulip Time's decision.

"There's no denying Tulip Time is a huge economic impact on our community," he said. "But, financially we're going to be fine. We're a small company — we're nimble. We've had bad Tulip Times in the past" he said citing Stem Fest of 2012.

"The good news is we're six to eight weeks out — the tulips are still going to bloom, and we're an outdoor event," he added. "We expect to be open, we expect to have tulips."

Unlike Tulip Time that has a short window to be profitable, "at least we will be open during the summer — we are not just dependent on the festival."

Nelis is also hoping to attract more local people to make up for the missing tourists.

The Ottawa County Department of Public Health is reminding residents to do the following things to decrease the spread of COVID-19 cases:

Wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizerAvoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed handsCover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezingAvoid handshakesAvoid contact with sick people who are sickStay home when you are sick

— Contact reporter Arpan Lobo at alobo@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @ArpanLobo.