All Gaspee Days Events Canceled Due to COVID-19

WARWICK, RI — The 55th Gaspee Days celebration has been canceled, including all its annual events due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Gaspee Days Committee announced Sunday.

“It is with a heavy heart that the Committee announces the cancellation of our 2020 celebration. This cancellation includes the Arts and Crafts Festival, the Road Race and the Parade.  Again, ALL Gaspee Days events are cancelled,” the committee announced.

The Committee said its volunteers will continue planning for 2021.

On March 31, while describing the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak, Gov. Gina Raimondo told Rhode Islanders, “We’re in this for at least another month.”

On April 4, Raimondo reported the state is experiencing a rapid spread phase in the outbreak, and pointed out that cases of and deaths from the disease are expected to continue to rise through the next few weeks.

The day celebrates Rhode Island’s daring lead role in the Revolutionary War,  “The First Blow for Freedom,” the 1772 burning of the HMS Gaspee by a band of upstart Rhode Islanders, commemorated every year with several events,  culminating in a 5K race and Parade in June.

Following the same route as the annual parade it precedes along Narragansett Parkway, the Allen & Edna W. Brown 5K Memorial FootRace is the first big crowd of the celebration that  essentially shuts down the village of Pawtuxet for three hours. The Gaspee Days Arts and Crafts Festival, also part of the celebration, had been scheduled for Saturday May 23.

“The Gaspee Days Committee joins all Rhode Islanders in sending a thank you to all essential workers who are keeping RI moving,” the Committee noted in its announcement