niagara falls crowds

Party in Niagara Falls draws a crowd of 1,000 people without face masks

Yikes, Canada; a party in Niagara Falls earlier this week drew a crowd of about 1,000 people, and from the photos circulating on social media, it doesn't look like many of the attendees were wearing masks.

The Colombia Independence Day Party took place on July 20 at around 10:00 p.m., as first reported by La Portada Canada.

The impromptu celebration included dancers, musicians, costumes and a rendition of the Colombian national anthem, with partiers spilling into the streets of Niagara and eventually to the Falls.

Although La Portada notes that the Colombian Embassy asked party attendees to follow Canadian health guidelines, the news outlet wrote in Spanish that many attendees forgot to put on masks "in the joy of the moment."

The party did include some planned activities — Niagara Falls was illuminated with stripes of yellow, blue and red to reflect the Colombian flag, for example — but most of it was spontaneous, according to La Portada.

The news outlet reported that Canadians and tourists applauded as the party passed by, asking what they were celebrating.

The party wrapped up around midnight, with attendees exchanging "hugs and kisses" and promising to celebrate in 2021 without any restrictions.

All party attendees will now undergo a voluntary quarantine for 14 days and observe all of the social distancing guidelines put out by Health Canada, according to La Portada.

On July 20, Niagara Falls was in Stage 2 of Ontario's reopening plan, which means that public outdoor gatherings were limited to a maximum of 10 people.

Canadians also raised concerns earlier this week when an alarming video of mask-less crowds at the popular tourist destination made the rounds on social media.

"Wow," one person wrote in response to the video. "Looks like the folks in Niagara Falls don't even know it's 2020 yet. Looks the same as when I visited in 2015."

Lead photo by

Maria



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