Santa Monica College (SMC) has officially canceled “Celebrate America” for 2021 due to planning logistics and lingering safety concerns regarding large-scale, in-person events during the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
SMC Event Producer and Associate Dean of Facilities Programming Linda Sullivan cited ongoing uncertainty about COVID-19 safety measures for large-scale non-ticketed events and planning logistics particular to the college as the main factors behind the decision; SMC’s classes and student support services will remain mostly online throughout Summer 2021, as previously announced.
“In addition to COVID-19 concerns — we also have no direction on how to check spectators or participants for vaccination status,” said Sullivan. “While ‘Celebrate America’ is not possible this year, we at SMC look forward to future occasions where we can once again interact safely with our community!”
Celebrate America is a free, unticketed event for the community, but hosting the event requires substantial staff preparation and participation by many SMC departments, including Campus Police and Facilities Maintenance and Operations, Sullivan added.
SMC continues to present free cultural and educational events online, and free to the public. Including the Drescher Planetarium shows on Friday nights (see smc.edu/planetarium). SMC also offers free videos of dance, music, and theatre arts performances. Upcoming events will be posted on the SMC Events calendar at smc.edu/calendar.
Grace Smith, SMC Public Information Office