The San Benito Olive Festival has been postponed for 2016, according to a head organizer.
Kathina Szeto, founder of the local olive festival and owner of the San Benito Bene store downtown, confirmed to the Free Lance that the event won’t happen in 2016. She acknowledged the nonprofit organization recently lost several board members, and its leadership made the decision in the “past couple of weeks” to “postpone” the festival for the year.
The 2016 San Benito Olive Festival planned for October would have been the fourth event since its inception in 2013, while organizers were preparing to move from the old home at Bolado Park to Brigantino Park on the west side this year.
Szeto said the festival had been growing each year, with ticket sales up 40 percent since the first one. She said including vendors and volunteers, there were about 1,700 people there last year. Szeto said she looked at this year’s break as taking one step back and two steps forward.
“We need more management and direction,” she said.
Look back for more.
