Citing increasing costs and a lack of sponsorships, organizers have decided to postpone the Chatham Kent International Food Fest.

In a message posted to Facebook this week, the organizers said the festival, which was initially planned for August 16-18, will now take place in 2025.

The event organizers said a variety of factors forced them to make a tough decision including increased event infrastructure and service costs, lack of sponsorships, and vendor availability.

“This year, events in Ontario have seen an increase of 30-40 per cent more in their infrastructural costs while revenues have decreased between 40 and 60 per cent for most events,” the social media post read. “Our team started the sponsorship push in January, with very few businesses able to assist. We applied for a grant which also fell through.”

The organizers said they plan to regroup and make the event even better for next year.

The food festival was also part of the Taste of Chatham-Kent event over the next two months, which will still move forward as planned.