The Ely Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has announced the cancellation of the 2026 Blueberry Art Festival due to the ongoing wildfire emergency affecting the region.
The decision follows ongoing discussions with local officials and members of the Incident Command Team overseeing emergency response efforts.
"While this decision carries significant economic impact for vendors, businesses, and our community, public safety and responsible stewardship must remain our priority," said Chamber President, Tanner Spicer.
Several factors contributed to the decision, including:
Ongoing evacuations in surrounding areas
The evolving nature of the wildfire emergency
Lessons learned from emergency conditions that resulted in festival cancellation in 2021
Existing demands on emergency response personnel and community resources
The Chamber emphasized that Ely remains resilient and many local businesses continue serving residents, visitors, and the emergency response teams that are arriving in town daily. However, bringing tens of thousands of additional visitors into the region during an active emergency was determined to be inconsistent with current public safety needs.
Additionally, Chamber leadership is working with legislators, community leaders, and business stakeholders to identify recovery and support opportunities for vendors and local businesses affected by the cancellation.
"We remain committed to supporting our vendors, our members, and the broader business community as we navigate this challenging situation together."
If you have questions, please contact Kristen at events@ely.org for details.
