The Honolulu Festival Foundation this morning canceled the annual festival amid mounting concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus.

The festival, which is now in its 26th year, draws people from across the Asia-Pacific region. This year, 3,000 attendees were expected to come from Japan and another 200 or so from nations across the Asia-Pacific.

Hiroyuki “Keith” Kitagawa, president of the Honolulu Festival Foundation, stated, “We apologize for the disappointment our decision to cancel this year’s Honolulu Festival causes for anyone who was looking forward to enjoying this annual celebration of cultural performances and the arts.

“There are currently no cases of the coronavirus in Hawaii. However, considering the precautions and recommendations being made by government health officials to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, canceling this year’s Honolulu Festival is the responsible action to help protect the public’s safety.”

Cancellations and postponements have been mounting in Japan and elsewhere.

The decision by Honolulu Festival organizers follows Friday’s announcement that the event was cancelling its popular Nagaoka fireworks show because the technicians were refusing to travel in the wake of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s containment measures. Organizers of big sports and cultural events had been asked to consider canceling or postponing those planned through March 15 or so to assist efforts to stem rising coronavirus infections.

After China, the coronavirus has hit South Korea, and then Japan the hardest. That’s why Japan’s health officials are urging the country to mitigate large-scale transmission risks. They’ve even closed schools in an effort to contain the virus as the countdown to the summer Olympics in Tokyo shortens.