Whoop-Up Days cancelled

By Lethbridge Herald on April 24, 2020.

Herald file photo by Ian Martens - Fair-goers and the lights of the midway rides are reflected in a puddle during last year's Whoop-Up Days at Exhibition Park. @IMartensHerald

Lethbridge, AB – Due to ongoing developments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic Lethbridge and District Exhibition has announced the cancellation of the 2020 edition of Whoop-Up Days Family Festival. On April 23 Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, announced that as a result of ongoing concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19, a ban on all Alberta gatherings, including festivals and similar mass gatherings is now in place for the remainder of the summer.
Exhibition Park CEO, Rudy Friesen says “The Alberta Health Services decision is one that we fully support, as it is in the best interest of the health and safety of the residents of our community. Even though we are in the business of mass gatherings, now is not the time.”
Furthermore, as a result of Dr. Hinshaw’s announcement, Exhibition Park facilities remain closed to the public and all scheduled on-site summer events/gatherings are being either cancelled or postponed to a future date. One potential exception is Farmers’ Market. The food portion of the Market is considered by the Province to be an essential service. As such, potential iterations of a weekly food-only Market are being examined. Current efforts focus on whether this service can be provided while still adhering to all restrictions currently in place, including the limit on gatherings of 15 people, maintaining a 2 metre distance, etc. Further details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Exhibition Park thanks it countless stakeholders, partners, exhibitors and guests for their ongoing support and understanding. This is most definitely a challenging time, and the safety of our community continues to be our priority. We will patiently wait until we can once more bring our Region together through Agriculture, Entertainment and Commerce.

Lethbridge and District Exhibition release

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