Canceled: Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral

This year’s Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral, set for Monday, Sept. 7, is off. 

Executive Director Paul Jankovic said the decision is in the best interest of residents and visitors "due to the continuing spread and the contagious nature of the COVID-19 virus."

The Bethany Beach tradition is held annually on Labor Day Monday. Normally, over hundreds of people parade down the boardwalk, following a casket carrying a mannequin that represents the "death" of the summer season. The parade is followed by performances from Dixieland-style bands.

This is the first time in the jazz funeral's 35-year history that it has been canceled.