Thanks, COVID. Due to safety concerns, one of the biggest festivals in Asbury Park has been called off for this year.

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Jersey Pride, Inc., producers of NJ's annual statewide LGBTQ+ pride celebration announced on social media that the 30th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration set for October 10 in Asbury Park will be rescheduled.
Jersey Pride Festival
Jersey Pride Festival
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Organizers say the decision to postpone was a tough one with a couple of different variables. With COVID cases on the rise, large gatherings are risky. Due to those concerns, sponsors and vendors were canceling or giving Jersey Pride pushback.

According to Jersey Pride President Laura Pople:

We have not been planning in a vacuum. It was already clear that we were not going to be able to host the blow-out 30th-year event that an anniversary year warranted and that we should target a modest one this fall. We had also made a determination that we would follow the lead of outdoor event organizers like Live Nation and mandate vaccinations or negative COVID tests for any attendees. Even with these precautions, however, it was clear that a critical mass of participants was withdrawing from (or at least questioning) participation in Pride.

Jersey Pride Festival
Jersey Pride Festival
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While many were excited about the October celebration, there has been an overwhelming amount of understanding and support from volunteers and the community. This isn't surprising. Understanding and support are a couple of the values Pride is all about.

What's next? Organizers say they are going to focus all of their energy on June 5. 2022. This is the new date for NJ's 30th LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration in Asbury Park

Since Pride is postponed, let's take a trip to the beach instead! LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

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