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Thursday, July 9, 2020

The Gist

Central Florida horror con Spooky Empire announces cancellation of 2020 events in Orlando and Tampa

Posted By Matthew Moyer on Thu, Jul 9, 2020 at 1:05 AM

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PHOTO BY HOLLY WHELDEN CARPENTER FOR ORLANDO WEEKLY

Photo by Holly Whelden Carpenter for Orlando Weekly

Central Florida horror convention Spooky Empire on Wednesday announced the cancellation of both events planned for this year on its Facebook page.

The organizers confirmed that both the August event in Orlando and the Halloween event in Tampa were canceled for this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and a recent spike in Florida's numbers more chilling than most slasher film antagonists.

The statement on Facebook read in part:

With the state we are in here in Florida, even a few days in the future is unpredictable. Keeping our attendees, vendors, staff, volunteers and families safe is paramount to us, and taking the risk at bringing everyone together right now is not something we’re comfortable with, nor does it make it easy to plan a large event. Everything involved in this production is affected from travel to meet and greets and parties to photo ops. Not to mention the financial burden of safety protocols, capacity limits and cancellations.

So that means BOTH Spooky Empire events have officially been cancelled as of today. That includes the August event at the Wyndham in Orlando and the Halloween event in Tampa.

But like all good horror franchises, a sequel is already in the works.

Spooky Empire also announced 2021 dates: April 30–May 2, 2021, Wyndham Orlando Resort, and Oct. 22-24, 2021, Hyatt Regency Orlando. (Interesting to note that both events will be in Orlando next year, with no Tampa show.)

Ticketholders to these canceled events have the option to use their passes at a future event, transfer these tickets to a friend or relative, or request a refund.

More information can be found on their website.

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Tags: Spooky Empire, Horror, Convention, Con, Science Fiction, Cosplay, Orlando, Tempa, Central Florida, Coronavirus, Local, COVID-19, Image

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