Rich & Bennett’s St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl postponed amid coronavirus concerns

Yesterday, we shared an update that many local businesses and events would still be operating until further developments on COVID-19.

Since then, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the novel coronavirus as a pandemic, and two individuals in Mecklenburg County tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 today.

What does this mean for your weekend plans?

With the rapid spread of coronavirus COVID-19, the 20th annual Rich & Bennett’s pub crawl has been rescheduled.

“We have concluded that hosting this year’s event at this time poses an undeniable risk to the public and we’re not willing to take that risk,” according to a statement by the team.

“We appreciate the community’s patience while we have held ongoing discussions with our partners, sponsors, vendors, health officials and CMPD regarding this difficult decision. This is certainly a first for our team and has been an emotional ride.”

For now, Rich & Bennett’s 20th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl will be rescheduled for June 27.

Thursday and Friday’s events at Whisky River have been postponed, with a rescheduled date to be announced in the next few weeks.

If you would like a refund, email info@richandbennett.com. The team asks for patience as it is anticipating getting a lot of emails.

“Twenty years ago, we set out to have a good time with friends. We never expected to face such a grueling decision. We have always put safety first when planning this event and this year is no exception. We look forward to crawling with you in the future,” the Rich & Bennett team stated.

Other St. Paddy’s weekend events

• As for Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Go Green Festival, both events have been postponed. Event organizers have not set a new date yet. The parade was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at North Tryon and Ninth streets in uptown, heading south to Third Street and left to Caldwell Street. The festival was to feature Irish music and dancers, bagpipers, Irish/Celtic and other vendors.

• The annual U.S. National Whitewater Center Green River Revival Festival scheduled for this weekend has been canceled. “As with all public health matters, the Whitewater Center relies on information and guidance from health and safety professionals and public health professionals. The COVID-19 situation is currently evolving in a rapid and unknown matter. In an abundance of caution, we have made the decision to cancel Green River Revival at this time,” Jeffrey T. Wise, CEO of the U.S. National Whitewater Center, stated in an email.

Catherine Muccigrosso and Jillian Mueller contributed to this report. This is a developing story and is being updated.

This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 11:48 AM.

Jessica Swannie

The Charlotte Observer

Jessica is a writer fueled by coffee, cookies and long walks in the Magic Kingdom. She’s often found exploring the culinary scene (mostly pasta) and traveling. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @jessicaswannie.