Omicron Forcing Twin Cities Venues To Adjust New Year's Eve Plans
Originally published Dec. 27, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Ahead of the next big holiday weekend, venues around the Twin Cities are adjusting their plans due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
An outbreak forced the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis to cancel its final performances of "A Christmas Carol" this year.
The Guthrie told WCCO in a statement Monday, "As we welcome 2022, we will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our artists, staff and guests in our programming decisions."
The Chanhassen Dinner Theatres made the decision several weeks ago to cancel their annual New Year's Eve celebration, though they will still have normal shows and concerts that night.
"You normally get to go up on stage and dance on the stage that like 'The Music Man' would normally be on. But with COVID protocols … and even being short staffed like every other like restaurant, it just didn't make sense," said Chanhassen Dinner Theaters' Nick Haug.
First Avenue has canceled their New Year's Eve party because of COVID.
The Armory's two-day NYE event, "Lights All Night Minneapolis," is also canceled "out of concern for our fans, artists, employees, and local communities."
COVID has also sidelined the Gopher women's basketball team's opponent for New Year's Eve, so they had to cancel the game planned for Williams Arena. Both the Gophers and the Northwestern Wildcats are working with the Big Ten Conference to reschedule.
Many other concerts and events around town are still going on. The Xcel Energy Center is hosting Thomas Rhett's Winter Classic New Year's Eve Bash with mask recommendations.