Whoop-Up Days 2023 shatters attendance records

He said, “I think there was a lot of curiosity about the Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre and literally thousands of people got the opportunity to see and experience this venue.”

Warkentin added that Mother Nature helped, too. Aside from rain during the Whoop-Up Days Parade on August 22, he remarked, “we couldn’t have had better weather for all five days.”

Regarding the free admission, he said the hope is to continue with that model going forward.

Warkentin stated, “We obviously need to see how everything plays out here over the coming weeks, but the chances are that that is something that we would look to continue should all the numbers fall the way we anticipate them falling.”

PRO RODEO

Attendance figures saw a bump for the returning Lethbridge & District Pro Rodeo. Over the course of the three-day event, officials said 5,116 people attended, up from 3,224 in 2022.

Warkentin said, “This year, what we really saw out there, not just from an attendance perspective, which greatly exceeded last year’s attendance as well, but we saw a world-class rodeo.”

“We saw a top five rodeo in the country.”

The championship rodeo featured athletes including World, Canadian and Calgary Stampede champions, with the competitors going up against bucking stock from Duane Kesler Championship Rodeo Stock.

Attendees check out the Lethbridge & District Pro Rodeo as part of Whoop-Up Days on August 24, 2023. (Photo: LNN)

Warkentin stated, “The Lethbridge and District Pro Rodeo really turned into something special this year and is being talked about in the likes of the Ponoka Stampede and the Calgary Stampede and some of the larger rodeos on tour. That’s exactly what we wanted when we brought back professional rodeo.”

Three heats of Warrior Relay Races, co-presented by the Blackfoot Confederacy, were also featured each night. Officials said the Lethbridge & District Pro Rodeo is the only professional rodeo in all of Canada to feature Warrior Relay Races as part of its lineup.

FUN FOR EVERYONE

In addition to the rodeo, Whoop-Up Days 2023 featured a variety of activities for everyone.

The 2023 edition of Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge set new attendance records, and gave guests the chance to check out the new Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre. (Photo: LNN)

Some events included pro wrestling from Pure Power Wrestling (PPW), live entertainment and music, midway rides, food trucks, a marketplace, the ‘Living Dragons’ exhibit from the Wildlife Festival, the Siksikaitsitapi Pow Wow and Princess Pageant, and a fireworks finale on Saturday night, August 26.

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

Although community feedback was positive, Warkentin said there are some areas to improve on going into Whoop-Up Days in 2024.

He said, “I think we’ll have to do a better job of managing line control in the future and understanding that guest experience from the minute someone enters the line, as well as things like washrooms and things like that. It was just more people than anticipated or had ever seen.”

Visitors entering the grounds at Lethbridge & District Exhibition for Whoop-Up Days, August 24, 2023. (Photo: LNN)

However, Warkentin said the event team did “an exceptional” job of working through any challenges that came their way during the festival.

SHOWCASING LETHBRIDGE

The Lethbridge & District Exhibition 50/50 Lottery returned this year, with Calgary’s Jill Grindle receiving $42,332.50 following a draw on Tuesday, August 29. Officials said nearly $85,000 worth of tickets were sold, more than doubling the support from the program’s first year, in 2022.

While Grindle took home half the pot, the charitable partner for 2023, YWCA Lethbridge & District, and Lethbridge & District Exhibition will each benefit from the other half.

He noted last year’s lottery winner was from Saskatchewan, and seeing people from outside Lethbridge come to the city for Whoop-Up Days is encouraging.

Warkentin remarked, “It is a community event for sure, but it is also an opportunity for us to showcase our community from a tourism perspective.”

He said Lethbridge & District Exhibition will look at how they can attract more people to continue coming from out of town for the annual festival.

Warkentin added Whoop-Up Days is more than just what happens at the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre. He said events around the city throughout the five-day festival, like pancakes breakfasts and barbecue lunches, make a big difference in the community, helping raise funds for local charitable organizations.

“It’s important to remember all of that community support that goes on not just here at the grounds, and actually, what’s given back to the community as a result of Whoop-Up Days occurring.”

PARADE WINNERS

The annual Whoop-Days Parade kicked off the festival on August 22, with over 100 floats being driven down Lethbridge streets to entertain attendees.

Country music star Corb Lund served as parade marshal.

Lethbridge & District Exhibition has named the winners of the parade, which include:

Children & Youth: Lethbridge Homeschoolers
Historical: Blackfoot Confederacy
Small commercial: Bella Elite Beauty & Barber Academy
Equine: Lethbridge Métis
Visiting: Town of Vulcan
Large commercial: Chinook Equipment
Community: Lethbridge Roller Derby Guild
Most entertaining: Lethbridge BMX
Grand aggregate: Chinook Equipment (top entry as chosen by parade judges)

LOOKING AHEAD

Warkentin said plans are already underway for next year’s event.

Whoop-Up Days will return to Lethbridge & District Exhibition August 20 to 24, 2024.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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by Justin Goulet

Whoop-Up Days 2023 shatters attendance records

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