Pork festival pulled by P.E.I. promoters
'The piggies are back in the barn,' say Porktoberfest organizers
After six years, P.E.I. Porktoberfest is no more.
The annual month-long celebration of P.E.I. pork in October resulted in about 45,000 pork dishes being sold in Island restaurants worth about $500,000, promoters say.
"This year the piggies are back in the barn, however, and we're not running P.E.I. Porktoberfest this year," said Robbie Dover from Fresh Media, which owned and marketed Porktoberfest.
'Burned out'
Over the past few years, fewer restaurants have been interested in participating, Dover said. When organizers approached restaurants this summer, he said, they "expressed that they were burned out from the summer."
Many restaurants also take part in P.E.I.'s Fall Flavours Festival, he noted, and had difficulty finding the time and energy to do it all.
"What we've just been hearing more and more from restaurants — and I think you see it on the news — they're tough on staff, they're tight on internal resources and it's a hard-working industry out there."
Porktoberfest could return in the future, Dover said, if there is interest, or it could take a different form such as a signature Fall Flavours event.
The festival promoted awareness of the pork industry on P.E.I. and encouraged chefs and home cooks to serve more pork. Fresh Media partnered with the P.E.I. Hog Board to present Porktoberfest.
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With files from Jessica Doria Brown