To the great disappointment of tens of thousands of sportsmen and women, COVID-related governmental restrictions will prevent both the Garden State Outdoors Show (January 7-10, 2021) and the 2021 Great American Outdoor Show (February 6-14, 2021) from being held as scheduled.
While these are the first multi-day event of the winter show season in the region to officially cancel due to COVID, it’s regrettably not the only impacted event. Earlier this fall the Jersey Shore Surfcasters announced that their annual Surf Day event was being cancelled in 2021, while the organizers of the Palmyra Fire Department Fishing Tackle Flea Market have announced that they plan on moving their February event later into 2021.
Sponsored in part by The Fisherman, and presented by Outdoor Sports Group, the Garden State Outdoor Sports Show in January has typically kicked off the winter show season each year. “Outdoor Sports Group in conjunction with its show partners have made the decision to cancel these events due to coronavirus related health and safety concerns for its exhibitors, speakers, staff and the many outdoor enthusiasts that passionately attend these events each year,” the Outdoor Sports Group said in an official cancellation announcement.
Launched in 2014 by the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Great American Outdoor Show has been a major boon for the state and local economy in Pennsylvania with more than 1,100 exhibitors and tens of thousands of visitors to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex each year contributing approximately $75 million to area businesses and state coffers, according to official local estimates.
