Red River Ex cancels annual fair because of COVID-19

Another Manitoba summer event is being forced off the calendar by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Red River Ex has been held annually for 70 years without interruption, said Garth Rogerson, CEO of the Red River Exhibition Association.

The 10-day fair was slated to run from June 12-21 and Rogerson was holding out, hoping it could open by then, but he's been forced to cancel it for the first time.

"With the Calgary Stampede cancelling and K-Days in Edmonton — that sort of collapsed the early part of the Canadian circuit for North American Midway Entertainment out of the U.S.," Rogerson said.

There is a possibility the Red River Ex could be rescheduled for Aug. 5-12, if Regina's fair goes ahead and the U.S. border reopens, he said.

There's an eight-day span in August when the midway passes Winnipeg on its way to Toronto, which could make it possible to have the festival then, Rogerson said.

"We're shooting for that. It's a bit of a long shot right now, but we're hopeful."

In the meantime, the association has been calling its entertainers and vendors since Thursday to let them know of the cancellation.

"We will survive and we'll be back, but certainly you can never gain back those dollars lost," Rogerson said. He expects losses this year of $2 million.

The next event the Red River Ex Association is planning for is its Winter Wonderland in December.

Anyone who purchased a ticket to the Red River Ex can hold onto it, because it will be valid for next year's festival, scheduled to run June 18-27, 2021.

People can also get a refund by emailing info@redriverex.com.