Why Missoula Festival of Remembrance is NOT Happening This Year

Right around this time most years, the Missoula Festival of Remembrance takes place. It's a longstanding tradition that many Missoulians attend to pay tribute to loved ones that they've lost - usually there will be a parade in downtown Missoula, and maybe some music and other performances over at Caras Park.

Last year, the festival took place virtually, but we hadn't really heard anything about what the plan was for 2021. As we got closer to the end of October, it seemed unlikely that anything was really taking place, but I wanted to make sure. So I reached out to the festival organizers via their Facebook page and asked if there were any plans to make it happen this year.

It was a quick reply, but here's what they said in response:

There will not be a procession this year, we want to keep everyone safe! We'll see you next year!

So there you have it - due to continued COVID cases in Montana, it was decided that the festival would be taking another year off. But it does seem like they're hoping to bring the festival back in 2022 - which would mark its 30th anniversary, so it would certainly be a good one to come back on.

It's certainly not the only event that decided to wait an extra year and hope that things were better before they returned, and no one can really blame the organizers for doing their best to keep everyone as safe as possible. So, hopefully, they'll be able to make their official comeback next year!

LOOK: How Halloween has changed in the past 100 years

Stacker compiled a list of ways that Halloween has changed over the last 100 years, from how we celebrate it on the day to the costumes we wear trick-or-treating. We’ve included events, inventions, and trends that changed the ways that Halloween was celebrated over time. Many of these traditions were phased out over time. But just like fake blood in a carpet, every bit of Halloween’s history left an impression we can see traces of today.

Gallery Credit: Brit McGinnis