SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Barrett-Jackson has postponed its 2021 car auction in Scottsdale, which typically draws thousands of people to its yearly event, because of concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said Thursday.
The event was scheduled to be held Jan. 16-23, 2021 at WestWorld of Scottsdale. It will now be held during the week of March 22 with specific dates to be announced later, the company said in a news release.
“While every indication showed that our bidders, consignors and sponsors were behind our efforts to hold our auction next month, we decided it would be prudent at this time to safeguard everyone’s health,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson, in a statement. “We determined that moving our event to March 2021 seemed like the right thing to do to avoid the coronavirus spike that is currently being predicted."
"We appreciate the support we have received from the City of Scottsdale and State of Arizona regarding this decision. We were widely praised for the safety protocols we put in place for our recent fall auction, and we want to be able to provide customers and fans the same safe environment and great Barrett-Jackson experience during our Scottsdale auction this spring," he said.
Earlier this year, Barrett-Jackson, which is based in Scottsdale, canceled its auctions in Las Vegas, Nevada and Palm Beach, Florida because of the pandemic. It held a smaller, invite-only auction in October at WestWorld of Scottsdale.
This week, the Arizona Renaissance Festival announced the cancellation of its 2021 event and the Phoenix Suns said it would begin its 2020-2021 season without fans, due to the pandemic and the uptick in cases in Arizona and across the country.
Both the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, set for December, and the Fiesta Bowl in January will be played with limited fans, reserved for player's families.
Other events that have canceled their 2021 plans include the Innings Festival in Tempe, the Great Canadian Picnic in Phoenix, the Chinese Culture & Cuisine Festival, and the Matsuri Festival of Japan. Both the Chinese Culture & Cuisine and Matsuri festivals will transition to virtual festivals.
Events larger than 50 people are technically prohibited in Arizona, part of an executive order issued by Gov. Doug Ducey to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. However, cities, towns, and the Arizona Department of Health Services can approve events as long as COVID-19 prevention measures are in place.
Barrett-Jackson said those who had tickets for the January event can transfer them to the March event. Refunds would also be available and details on that process would be communicated with ticket holders, a news release said.
