LOS ANGELES — Wanting to avoid "the faintest possibility of sponsoring a super spreader event," organizers of the annual Kingdom Day Parade announced Friday that this year's event would be canceled.

"The entire Board of Directors of the Kingdom Day Parade, voted unanimously to take the drastic action of canceling this year’s parade on the street in order to avoid even the faintest possibility of sponsoring a super spreader event," said Dr. Adrian Dove, chairman of CORE-CA's Kingdom Day Parade in a statement.

This marks the second year in a row the parade has been called off due to COVID. In 2021, a televised celebration was held instead featuring an interview with King's oldest son, highlights of past parades and interviews with local dignitaries about King's impact on their lives.

The parade was being canceled this year "out of extreme caution and concern for the survival of our public, based on the new COVID-19 data officially released today by Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Health, which now reveals the severity of serious spikes in hospitalization in Los Angeles," Dove said.

The event, traditionally followed by a festival in Leimert Park, had been scheduled for King Day on Jan. 17.

Los Angeles County is currently in the midst of a surge of the omicron variant, and a number of events have either been canceled or postponed.

"All parade participants, volunteers, and sponsors are being contacted directly by parade organizers," said Dove.

There was no immediate word if an alternative celebration will held this year.

City News Service contributed to this report.