ManyFest has been cancelled this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (TOURISM WINNIPEG)
WINNIPEG — Another popular seasonal festival has been chopped this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ announced Tuesday that ManyFest will not occur as planned from September 11-13.
Had it gone ahead, it would have been ManyFest’s 10th year.
The BIZ says the decision to cancel the event was made in the best interests of the health and safety of the community and follows consultation with the City of Winnipeg and Manitoba Health.
“ManyFest is an event that brings thousands of people together downtown,” said Jason Smith of Smith Events and ManyFest’s organizer.
“We explored a variety of options and scenarios that would meet health guidelines however a scaled-down event would ultimately not guarantee a smaller crowd and physical distancing would remain a challenge. As a free, non-ticketed event, it would be difficult to anticipate and manage attendance regardless of the festival’s design. Given this and the current climate, we are taking the cautious approach in cancelling this year’s event.”
Last year’s event drew more than 80,000 downtown to the intersection of Broadway and Memorial.
The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ has re-launched some of its smaller summer events like Fitness in the Park, Downtown Sounds Concert Series and the Downtown Farmers’ Market where physical distancing, safety and cleanliness protocols are followed.
