Royal Manitoba Winter Fair cancelled for 2nd time due to COVID-19

The 2021 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has been cancelled, marking the second year in a row the annual event will be called off due to COVID-19.

The decision was "extremely difficult," said Greg Crisanti, president of the board for the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, and represents a multimillion-dollar loss for the Brandon economy.

"We're deeply saddened to have to make the announcement," Crisanti said Wednesday in an interview on CBC Manitoba's Radio Noon.

"Unfortunately, with the pandemic, the decision was made for us."

Planning for the event takes months, Crisanti said, so organizers had to decide early if the 2021 fair would go off. As COVID-19 cases skyrocket in Manitoba, organizers decided to suspend planning for the March 2021 event.

"Safety is of the utmost importance to us, and it's just not possible to to host an event that brings over 100,000 people into our community," Crisanti said.

The annual fair generates roughly $7.2 million for the Brandon economy, Crisanti said, including money spent at local hotels, grocery stores and gas stations. The six-day event brings in thousands of visitors and competitors from across Canada and the U.S., to participate in equestrian, cattle and dog shows, as well as agriculture presentations and networking.

The 2020 edition of the fair was already called off earlier this year. At the time, organizers said it was only the third time the event had ever been cancelled in its over 100-year history.

The Manitoba Summer Fair in June and Manitoba Ag Ex in October were also cancelled this year because of the pandemic.

"Our organization is probably in the worst position we've ever been in, to put it lightly," Crisanti said. "Nobody planned for our three major events to be cancelled last year, as well as to have two of the winter fairs cancelled back-to-back."

'The hole is just getting bigger'

Crisanti expects the organization will be able to survive to the 2021 summer fair, and board members will soon start planning that event.

He commended staff who have already organized numerous fundraisers, including 50/50 events, holiday meal pickups, merchandise sales and a silent auction.

But those fundraisers typically bring in between $500 and $5,000, he said — a drop in the bucket of the $300,000 the organization might make from the winter fair.

"We're nowhere close to our budget … and the hole is just getting bigger," he said.

After June, the organization will need more significant support to stay afloat, Crisanti said.

So far, the Brandon community has been supportive and understanding of the cancellation, Crisanti said. He's hoping the organization can make it to the next live event and continue from there.

"We've been around for over 100 years and we definitely … don't want this to be the end for sure."