Winkler Harvest Festival is on this weekend
Winkler’s largest community celebration is on this weekend.
The Harvest Festival takes over the Parkland fairgrounds Friday through Sunday, offering a little something for everyone.
Coordinator Karina Bueckert is most looking forward to this year’s stage acts, which include up-and-coming country crooner Owen Riegling on Friday, ‘90s rockers Big Sugar on Saturday, and Christian band Tenth Avenue North on Sunday.
“I’m excited about all of them. We have some pretty big names coming, and we also have quite a variety of local Manitobans taking the stage as well,” she said, pointing to opening acts like Joe Wilson and Catie St. Germain Friday, The M’Ladies and Link and the Moustaches Saturday, and the Quonset Brothers and The Color Sunday.
The rest of the festival schedule is full of familiar favourites: the Fawn & Cub market, Prairie Exotics displays, a host of children’s activities (the petting zoo, obstacle course, and more), board and video gaming competitions inside the exhibition centre, the Saturday morning parade, entertainment in the beer gardens, a Strong Man competition, free swimming at the RCU Aquatic Centre, the community worship service, the car show, fireworks, and, of course the Wonder Shows midway filled with rides and games.
This year you can avoid the lines for midway wristbands by picking them up at the Meridian Exhibition Centre offices during business hours in the days before the festival.
“Those lineups are always so long, so I’m excited to see how that will play out,” said Bueckert, noting you can buy a band for any specific day of the festival for $40, which gets you unlimited rides.
Speaking of the midway, Bueckert notes they’re once again offering a quiet morning from 10 a.m. to noon. Though all are welcome during this time, the rides and games will operate without any music or bright lights to help those with sensory challenges feel more comfortable.
“We did it for an hour last year and this year we’ve built it into a two-hour morning during the parade,” Bueckert said, adding it was pretty well received last year and they hope to grow the attendance at it this and future years.
With construction ongoing at the Winkler Centennial Arena, Bueckert reminds festival-goers that parking is going to be even more limited than usual in the Parkland area this weekend.
