AN UPDATE FROM THE BRIDGE DAY COMMISSION 7.8.2020
New River Gorge, W.Va. — The Bridge Day Commission has made the decision to cancel Bridge Day, which was scheduled for October 17, 2020, due to uncertainty around the safety of mass gatherings.
“We know that this is an enormous disappointment, but this is not a decision that has been taken lightly. This is one of the few times in 40 years that Bridge Day will not take place,” said Bridge Day Commission Chair Becky Sullivan. “However, we are in uncharted territory, and we are working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation. The uncertainty we are facing makes the probability of factors outside of our control forcing us to cancel the event at the last minute much higher. We based this decision on the facts as we know them and, more importantly, based on our responsibility and care for our community.”
Bridge Day is West Virginia’s largest single-day festival and one of the largest extreme sports events in the world. Approximately 100,000 people attend Bridge Day each year. In previous years, more than 300 BASE jumpers from over 33 states participated in the event as well as 300-plus rappellers.
“We understand the gravity of the situation, and how much this event means to all involved,” Sullivan added. “We are committed to doing our part to protect our communities, staff, volunteers, attendees and fellow Mountaineers."
“We continue to strive toward our purpose of celebrating the New River Gorge Bridge and surrounding areas. We intend to keep morale high and, together with community leaders, focus on collective efforts to rebuild a fantastic event in 2021,” Sullivan said. “We appreciate the patience and understanding and look forward to welcoming everyone to future Bridge Day events.”
About Bridge Day/New River Gorge Bridge Day Commission
Bridge Day is West Virginia's largest single-day festival and one of the largest extreme sports events in the world. Held annually every third Saturday in October on the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayette County, West Virginia, this is the only day each year thousands of spectators can walk across the bridge and watch as BASE jumpers get their chance to fly 876 feet into the Gorge below and rappellers ascend and descend from the catwalk.
The WV Legislature established the New River Gorge Bridge Day Commission to sanction, coordinate and promulgate rules and regulations for the annual event. The NRGBD Commission is composed of representatives from the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Fayette County Commission, WV State Police, Town of Fayetteville, WV Division of Highways. In recent years, the Bridge Day Commission has added advisory positions from the National Park Service, the BASE, Rappel and Vendor communities.
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Registration closes October 9th. There will not any registration past October 9th for security reasons.
Please note that you must upload a photo of yourself for your jumper pass. Any photo with a good face shot, preferably just of you. Take a selfie and upload it during the registration where it says "Required photo ID".
Bridge Day is the oldest and largest organized BASE jumping event in the world, held annually on the third Saturday in October in Fayetteville, WV. It also happens to be the largest one day event in the state of West Virginia, attended 100,000 spectators who can watch a BASE jumper leap off the 876' New River Gorge Bridge every 30 seconds. On average, 400+ BASE jumpers from nearly every state and from countries as far as China gather for what is known as the biggest and most exciting extreme sports event on the planet. BASE Jumping has been a part of Bridge Day since 1980 when just a handful of jumpers (there were only a few since the sport started in 1977). By 1984 over 400 jumpers attended, as they have each and every year, making an average of 800 jumps. First time jumpers have been a big part Bridge Day since it began, and it remains that way today. Each year an average of 100 first time jumpers are attracted to it’s abundant height, managed rescue water landing, density of BASE advice, and readily accessible training. Bridge Day is a fantastic place to make your first jump, just ask the 3,000+ people who have done it!
Cancellation policy: In the event that the BASE participant decides not to attend the event when Bridge Day is still happening, there is no deferral or refund. In the event that Bridge Day is cancelled by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and the Bridge Day Commission, all BASE participants are entitled to a refund. There is the option for the BASE participant to apply their registration amount to 2021's Bridge Day event.
