NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Essence magazine’s annual festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of people to New Orleans over the Fourth of July weekend to celebrate black culture, was canceled Wednesday to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.

“From the beginning, we have shared that the health, safety and well-being of our festivalgoers, local citizens and others who contribute to making the festival such a unique experience were our top concerns,” festival organizers said in a statement, “and would be the foremost considerations in our decision-making.”

The festival hosts citywide events over the holiday weekend that include concerts and workshops on economic empowerment, advocacy and entrepreneurship.

Last year, Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans and Essence magazine agreed that the city would host the festival for the next five years. The festival has brought an estimated $4 billion to New Orleans since its first event there in 1995, according to city leaders.

Essence Festival joins the long list of high-profile events, including Coachella and Burning Man, that have been canceled because of the coronavirus. Organizers said that ticket holders could request a refund.

Initially, the festival was moved to the fall, but organizers decided to cancel the event altogether after public health officials emphasized that large-scale events could possibly put attendees and neighboring communities at risk, the statement said.

On Tuesday, Cantrell recommended that large events like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the French Quarter Festival be put on hold in 2020.

“The focus should shift to 2021,” Cantrell said at a news conference. “At the end of the day, we have to be realistic. We have to put ourselves in a position when we are better and healed that we stay that way and not subject our community to another COVID outbreak.”

New Orleans has quickly become an epicenter of the virus, with one of the highest death rates in the country. In late February, the city decided not to cancel Mardi Gras, a citywide public celebration, and experts now say that the festivities may be to blame for how quickly the coronavirus advanced through the state.

Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana praised the organizers of Essence Festival for working with New Orleans.

“We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Essence family and look forward to continuing the celebration in 2021,” Edwards said.

In the statement, festival organizers noted that the choice to cancel the event was a simple one: “What would have typically been a very difficult decision for us was not because people come first.”

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