For St. Bernard Abbey, one year without the Bloomin’ Festival is one year too many.

With October’s Bernard Blues and BBQ a success, St. Bernard has pulled off its first major public event of the COVID-19 era. Now, armed with the experience and confidence from that event, plans for the Bloomin’ Festival to return to the Abbey grounds next year are already well underway.

St. Bernard Prep School marketing director Joyce Nix said Tuesday that the Bloomin’ Festival already has filled half of its allotted vendor commitments for 2021, ahead of the upcoming Dec. 31 vendor application deadline. Interest in bringing the arts and crafts celebration has been strong — so strong, said Nix, that artists hoping to be a part of the springtime event should hurry to assure themselves a space.

“When you think about what we’ve overcome since March, we’re very fortunate, and it’s been great to see people eager to be a part of Bloomin’ Festival after having to sit things out this year,” she said. “We’ve learn to adapt to the changes, and our Blues and BBQ event really showed us that there is a way to hold a great event that takes into considerations people’s public health concerns.

“We did very will with Blues and BBQ, which is a big encouragement for next year’s Bloomin’ Festival,” she added. “So many people came out to support the school, to support the artisans, and simply to enjoy getting outside and listening to music and being a part of the festivities. It was clear that people were happy to have that opportunity, after being limited in their opportunities to attend those kinds of events through the summer. We’ve already set the date for Blues and BBQ for next year — October 30 and 31 — and we’re looking forward to combining it with Halloween weekend once again.”

To beat the Dec. 31 deadline as an arts and crafts vendor for next year’s Bloomin’ Festival, visit bloominfestival.com online, read the submission instructions, and download a vendor application. After skipping this year due to COVID-19, the Bloomin’ Festival is set to return on April 17 & 18 of 2021.