Fair St. Louis is canceled this year due to the coronavirus.

Fair St. Louis and America’s Birthday Parade will not hold their 2020 Independence Day celebrations scheduled to take place July 2, 3 and 4, 2020, in downtown St. Louis.

The decision to cancel the free events was made “due to COVID-19 health concerns and in the interest of public safety” by the Fair St. Louis Foundation and America’s Birthday Parade boards, the city of St. Louis, and the National Park Service, in coordination with key sponsors and stakeholders.

“While we are saddened to cancel two of our region’s most popular and free Fourth of July celebrations, the safety of our community is of utmost importance to us,” said David Estes, chairman of Fair St. Louis, in a news release. “Fair St. Louis and America’s Birthday Parade embody the prideful spirit of our city, and over the past few weeks, we’ve seen that spirit shine so brightly within our community as we face this unthinkable challenge together.”

This year would have marked the 40th Fair St. Louis and the 138th America’s Birthday Parade. It used to be called the VP Fair.

Fair St. Louis and America’s Birthday Parade organizations “would like to thank their staff, partners, sponsors, many volunteers and the entire St. Louis region for their unwavering commitment and support during this unprecedented time,” the announcement said.

“We look forward to returning to downtown St. Louis and celebrating with our community in the future when the time is right,” said David Plufka, chairman of America’s Birthday Parade. “Until then, please stay safe and be mindful of the health and safety of others. We are in this together and we will get through this together.”