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Months after music lovers braved stormy weather to attend JazzFest 2019, organizers confirmed the popular Sioux Falls event won’t make an appearance in 2020.

Instead JazzFest is going on a hiatus next year as part of an “evolution” in programming for the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society, the organization that plans and hosts the free music festival each year, according to a Friday statement from the group.

“Live music performance has grown tremendously in Sioux Falls, and we are very proud to be a part of that,” the society’s Board President Beth Ormseth said in an emailed statement. “This growth, and other headwinds over the last few years including weather events, unforeseen artist cancellations, and increasing expenses cause us to pause and evaluate the model for the festival that we remain committed to in the future.”

Tryg Fredrickson, executive director of Society told the Argus Leader last month that a plan by city officials to hike event fees would be “crippling, to say the least.”

Amid an increase of public events, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken recommended the fee increase for the use of public resources such as police officers.

However, a formal proposal hasn’t been introduced and it’s not clear if the proposal played into the decision to take 2020 off.

Meanwhile, the Sioux Falls-based society will spend the year working to improve its educational programming across South Dakota.

“The Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society is larger than one annual event,” Ormseth said in her statement. “And we want to let our patrons know that we’re carrying forward their love for jazz and blues to our younger audiences with full rigor. Our work is to expand the reach of our mission — especially to groups and communities that can benefit from it the most.” 

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