Oxnard's Salsa Festival canceled weeks before relaunch

Aficionados of spicy food and Latin music will have to wait another year for the return of Oxnard’s Salsa Festival.

Oxnard Downtowners, the nonprofit that hosts the festival and more than 70 other events in the city each year, announced the cancellation Tuesday night on social media. The two-day festival had been planned for July 29-30.

Gary Blum, one of the organization’s board members, said Wednesday two main issues drove the decision to postpone the event for the fourth year in a row.

The organization’s coffers have been low since the pandemic halted many of its regular events and forced the nonprofit to dip into reserve funds, he said.

It takes about $80,000 to $100,000 to put on the festival each year. Blum said “not enough” money had been raised for the event, declining to give an exact amount.

Additionally, the Oxnard Downtowners are looking for a new management company to help plan and promote the festival, Blum said. The previous company scaled back its operations and was unable to assist with this year’s event.

Last held in 2019, the festival started in 1993 and celebrates all things salsa — the sauce, music and dance.

It’s traditionally hosted in downtown Oxnard’s Plaza Park and draws in more than 35,000 guests each year. About half of the attendees are from outside Ventura County, Blum said.

Since the announcement, Blum said the public has been supportive and disappointed over the decision to cancel the festival.

"I think our board will be using that as our energy to make sure we bring it back successfully next year,” he said.

Next year’s festival is planned for July 27-28.

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at [email protected] or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard's Salsa Festival canceled weeks before relaunch