2020 Great Raft Race canceled due to COVID-19
/The Great Tulsa Raft Race, scheduled for Labor Day, has been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race ran from 1973 to 1991 before being canceled, then was resurrected in 2015 by the Tulsa Young Professional Foundation.
“Due to public health concerns, the Board of Directors for Tulsa’s Great Raft Race, Inc. made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Labor Day event,” reads a Thursday press release. “The safety of all participants and attendees is our top priority, and as COVID-19 cases have risen, we do not feel we can produce an event that properly adheres to social distancing recommendations.”
“We were hoping to get everyone back outside to enjoy the recreational opportunities of the Arkansas River, while also highlighting STEM education principles, but we feel at this time it is best to focus our efforts on 2021 event planning.”
“The Great Raft Race brings thousands of people to the banks of the river every year on Labor Day starting in Sand Springs Case Community Park, floating 8 miles downriver, and ending at River Parks West Festival Park. The event was originally started in 1973 and ended in 1991 before its current revival in 2015. Tulsa’s Great Raft Race, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and could not be produced annually without the generous support of our sponsors, corporate and non-profit partners, and hundreds of volunteers that make this Labor Day tradition a reality. We look forward to seeing you on the river in 2021!”
