Organisers of the internationally acclaimed Calabash Literary Festival are announcing the event’s cancellation for a second year on Tuesday (February 23).

Calabash, which was initially set to be staged between Friday, May 28 and Sunday, May 30, was previously postponed last year due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). It was not immediately disclosed that the cancelled festival was impacted by the current outbreak of cases of the pandemic in Jamaica.

“Greetings Calabash Family! We have taken the difficult but necessary decision to stage the next Calabash in 2022. So May 27-29, 2022 we will all meet and greet in #TreasureBeach for our ‘greatest likkle festival’,” Calabash announced on its Twitter page.

Calabash, a biannual event held in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, was featured earlier in, during the Literature Live Around the World event.

The 12-hour showcase, produced by Norway’s LitFestBergen, saw 12 literary festivals presenting a series of live virtual conversations—starting at dawn in Norway and ending at sunset in Jamaica on Friday, February 12.

Calabash, founded in 2001 by novelist Colin Channer with the support of poet Kwame Dawes and producer Justine Henzell, would have celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.