Winnipeg’s summer festivals return after a two-year hiatus – Winnipeg | Globalnews.ca

After a two-year hiatus amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Winnipeg’s summer festivals are making a comeback on a grand scale.

The Dauphin CountryFest is the first of many to return and will kick off on Friday.

Folkfest, Fringe Festival and Morris Stampede will also take place throughout July, followed by Folklorama and the Burt Block Party in August.

CountryFest President Ann Ransom said it feels great to host Canadian artists who were unable to play live during the COVID-19 restrictions.

“When we saw our lineup, we thought ‘let’s pay up front here,'” he said. “Let’s make sure we get those Canadian artists out, give them a chance to reach their market.”

Ransom said one positive aspect of the past few years has been thinking about ways to improve the CountryFest experience.

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“It’s nice to bring some customer-facing changes this year, (including) having (square payments) available so people can bring their credit or debit cards or their ApplePay or however they pay normally,” he said.

“Our food vendors can accept that type of payment, just making it a lot easier for people than having to carry cash or have it with them.”

Fringe Festival executive producer Chuck McEwen told 680 CJOB there were some logistical challenges during this year’s planning process.

“The biggest challenge is just getting everyone back because a lot of people have left the industry or a lot of their suppliers are no longer in business or have reduced workloads,” he said. “So some of our equipment is no longer available.”

According to McEwen, things like lighting equipment and portable urinals were harder to find this year due to high demand for on-hand stock.

Despite the extra hours and costs to get the Fringe back up and running, McEwen said it’s worth the effort to put on its 112 shows.

“We are hearing a lot of positive feedback from our volunteers, sponsors and artists about how much they have missed connecting in person at an event they truly enjoy.

“And I think that’s the biggest impact for me, is that there’s such a huge demand not only for Fringe, but for all of our amazing festivals here and in Manitoba and Winnipeg.”