EDMONTON, AB – Despite stormy weather the first few days, visitors flocked to K-Days, pushing the fair’s attendance up more than 13,000 over 2016 to reach 816,250 attendees in 2017.
“Mother Nature may have thrown us a curve ball the first weekend, but she came through for us this past week,” said Tim Reid, President and CEO, Northlands. “With the addition of the K-Days Rodeo, the 22 acts on our TD South Stage; our partnership with the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation to present a competitive Pow Wow, fully programmed EXPO Centre; roaming entertainment on the midway, just to name a few, we believe we provided tremendous value for the entertainment dollar for the best 10 days of summer for the Capital Region.”
This year saw strong activation outside the K-Days grounds with several barbeques and pancake breakfasts. Many were held by community organizations looking to harness the excitement surrounding the city’s largest summer festival.
As an ongoing tradition at K-Days, Northlands is proud to support other not-for-profit organizations. The Stollery Superstars Party celebrated young philanthropists who, over the past year, raised more than $263,000 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital. In addition to the Stollery partnership, Northlands volunteers spent 10 busy days selling 50/50 tickets to raise funds for various community organizations and Northlands Agriculture Education fund which drew a pot of more than $205,000. And no one can forget the grand kick off to K-Days with the return of the K-Days parade down the historic route down Jasper Avenue. Monday Morning Magic saw families enjoy a special morning on the midway with friends from the Edmonton Eskimos along with other local organizations and sports teams. The rain could not damper their enthusiasm. There were smiles for miles.
Media are invited to hear more details on K-Days 2017 and what the future means for Edmonton’s signature summer fair on Wednesday, August 2 at 10 a.m. in the Paddock Theatre at Northlands Park.