With the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreading fast and vaccination not covering people as rapidly as expected, many events in New York are being canceled.
The New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) today announced that it will cancel its 2021 edition. The book fair was supposed to be held between September 9-12 at Park Avenue Armory. Sanford Smith, veteran art fair organizer and head of NYIABF, said that he was disappointed with the cancellation of the book fair. However, he added that keeping in mind the safety of both the organizers and the attendees, the difficult decision to cancel was taken.
The long-running book fair usually saw over 200 exhibitors each year. However, it was announced by Smith earlier that only 119 exhibitors would participate this year. This was primarily due to the travel ban from various European countries to the US, which prompted many exhibitors to drop out. Even the ones participating had arranged to send their agents to countries like Barbados first for the quarantine period.
A week ago, the New York Auto Show also announced the cancellation of this year’s event. The event was scheduled to open at the Javits Center in New York on August 19. One of the major automobile shows in the country, it was projected to attract a crowd of more than a million.
But not everyone is dissuaded by the pandemic. The Armory Show, scheduled to take place between September 9-12 in Javits Center, confirmed that it is moving ahead as planned. Earlier, the show had moved its schedule from March to September in view of the rising COVID-19 cases. However, show organizers assured that they are making some changes to make the event safer for the attendees. While the show will only allow 75 percent in-person attendees, many European exhibitors have already opted for the digital version of the event.
