For a variety of reasons, organizers are canceling the Mayville Winter Festival for this year. Following ongoing conversations over the past several months, and a thorough review by the planning committee Monday evening, the decision was reached to cancel the festival based largely on dramatically increased expenses and increasing challenges around the hands-on support required to mount an event of this magnitude.

CHQ Chamber President and CEO Daniel Heitzenrater noted, “After a great deal of discussion with insurance carriers around this event, the unfortunate reality is that there are certain activities and events traditionally associated with the Winter Festival that have now been deemed as ‘high-risk,’ and therefore become either uninsurable or very expensive to insure. As a result, very few of the traditional events, and some of the new things that were being planned, for this long-standing festival are not possible.”

One of the traditional pieces to the festival is an ice castle that is built at Lakeside Park in Mayville. That also will not be happening.

“We want to thank everyone who has stepped up to try to make this work. That includes the Town of Chautauqua, Village of Mayville, our committee volunteers, sponsors, and vendors. We will be reaching out directly to all who have already committed to participate in this event in some way, as we sincerely value those relationships and understand the disappointment we all feel in the wake of this decision,” Heitzenrater said.