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CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘All the preparations turn into reality': Whoop-Up Days back in Lethbridge next week
Preparations and setup are underway for this year's Whoop-Up Days at the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre. Preparations are underway for this year's Whoop-Up Days at the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre. The festival runs Aug. 19-23, with the Whoop-Up Wrap-Up on Aug. 24. 'It's a good time when all the preparations turn into reality, and we're just so excited as a team to get this going,' said Paul Kingsmith, director of event development with the Lethbridge and District Exhibition (LDE). This year's festival features staple events such as the West Coast Amusements Midway, Blackfoot programming, Lethbridge and District Pro Rodeo, food trucks and vendors, along with the Original 16 Stage with music headliners Trooper and Chad Brownlee. Kingsmith says advance ticket sales are nearly three times higher than this time last year. 'I don't think there's anything we can point to as one key indicator as to why things are going well, but we hope it's just a sign that, you know, coming out of COVID, there was a lot of work to rebuild the fair from scratch,' he said. 'It's sort of been a four- or five-year process to get to where we are and get this really rolling and engage the community in that way, and so I think that hopefully this is a sign that the community is really enjoying this.' Preparations and setup are underway for this year's Whoop-Up Days at the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre. Last year was a record-setting year for the LDE. Kingsmith says there were 40,178 visitors through the gates last year—the highest number for a paid-admission festival. 2023 saw record attendance of 77,263 with free admission. But he says the number of visitors through the gates this year isn't the only area they're looking to grow. The festival has grown by a day, with a new Whoop-Up Wrap-Up on Sunday. 'It's a smaller, pared-down day,' Kingsmith said. 'There'll be the midway, food trucks, the beer garden and the Sixth Street Sweets area, but with only a $5 admission.' Preparations and setup are underway for this year's Whoop-Up Days at the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre. The annual event will also shine a brighter spotlight on the community this year. A new community zone has been created within the marketplace, where more than 20 local not-for-profit organizations, charities, community groups and agricultural commodity groups will showcase their work to visitors free of charge. Whoop-Up Days officially kicks off on Tuesday morning with the annual parade. A full list of events and the schedule can be found here.
CTV News
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
New twist on old favourite among midway offerings at 2025 Whoop-Up Days
Plenty of new food offerings will be available at this year's Whoop-Up Days—as well as a twist on a classic. Instead of Jumbo Ears, this year Jumbo Bites will be available on the midway. Each bag will be filled with smaller Jumbo Ear pieces. They come with a choice of dip. The Lethbridge and District Exhibition (LDE) says this will allow for consistent quality over the course of Whoop-Up Days. New this year are dirty sodas and several different kinds of street corn. The new additions make up what's being called 'Sixth Street Sweets.' 'When we survey people after Whoop-Up Days every year, food is always one of the top three reasons that people come to a fair,' said Paul Kingsmith, LDE event development director. 'It's something about that coming together. 'Food is just such a uniting factor in any facet of life, and I think that here—we're in an agriculture centre—it has even more of that.' The last remaining streetcar that used to operate in Lethbridge will be set up on the midway as a centrepiece for Sixth Street Sweets. Whoop-Up Days runs Aug. 19-23, noon to 11 p.m., and the Whoop-Up Wrap-Up is Aug. 24, noon to 7 p.m. More information and tickets are available online.
