Listen • 0:53
Santa Barbara's Old Spanish Days Celebration cancelled its annual "Mercado De La Guerra" for the second year in a row due to the pandemic.
/
Lance Orozco/KCLU News
Less than a week from the start of the biggest community celebrations on the Central and South Coasts, the surge in COVID-19 cases forced the cancellation of part of it.
Old Spanish Days organizers say safety comes first, so they’ve pulled the plug on “The Mercado at De la Guerra Plaza," in downtown Santa Barbara. The Mercado is a marketplace which normally features four days and nights of live performances on a stage, as well as dozens of food and crafts booths.