WATCH ABOVE: Despite security concerns and added measures, more people flocked to K-Days than have in 10 years. Lisa Wolansky reports.
EDMONTON – One of Edmonton’s biggest summer festivals attracted its highest number of fair-goers in a decade. Northlands says 785,290 people enjoyed the music, rides, food and shopping over the course of the 10 day long K-Days festival this year.
That’s up nearly 45,000 people from 2014. This year’s attendance was the highest since 2005, when a record-setting 810,503 people took in the last Klondike Days before it was replaced by Capital EX.
Attendance numbers slumped by over 120,000 people in the first year of the re-branded fair, but made a slight recovery in the following years. (Scroll to the bottom for attendance numbers since 2005.)
“We consider K-Days 2015 a huge success for Northlands and for the Capital Region,” said Tim Reid, President & CEO of Northlands. “If you joined us on the festival grounds, you would have seen thousands of smiling faces, unlimited deep-fried food and some amazing live shows.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Reid said next year people can expect to see more K-Days events outside of the Northlands grounds.
“Anytime you get hundreds of thousands of people in your city celebrating around a festival, this is something you want to bring back to the city,” said Reid.
“So I think our big devotion that you’re going to see into 2016 is going to be taking a step off campus and partnering with other Edmontonians and other groups in the city to make this a city-wide event.”
The 10-day-long festival kicked off with a parade through downtown Edmonton on July 17th. Despite a steady rainfall, thousands of people came out to celebrate Edmonton’s first responders as Parade Marshals and local heroes as Honorary Parade Marshals. An estimated 171,000 viewers tuned in to Global Edmonton’s two-hour parade broadcast. (You can re-watch it HERE.)
From rides and food to concerts and trade shows, there was plenty of things to keep people busy.
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The unique culinary offerings proved to be a popular attraction. Among the crazy creations: glazed-doughnut grilled cheese sandwiches, pulled-pork sundaes, lobster corn dogs, and an 18-inch corn dog.
Gallery: Some of the new – and unique – food creations at this year’s K-Days
The monster burger also made a return.
“It’s $65 and for that you get a kilogram of beef, half a kilo of cheese,” said Jennifer Sheehan, public relations manager with Northlands. “The great thing about the Monster Burger is that for every one that’s purchased, Northlands will donate a kilogram of beef to the Edmonton Food Bank, so you’re feeding more than one family – you’re feeding your family and another one as well.”
READ MORE: Super Dogs and Monster Burger back as guests enjoy K-Days’ opening weekend
Northlands said over the course of the festival, $344,000 was raised for dozens of charities and community organizations.
One of the festival’s highlights was the 38th annual Monday Morning Magic. The special event gave local children with special needs private access to the midway, where they had a chance to meet local heroes like emergency responders and members of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Edmonton Eskimo.
The festival featured dozens of live performances, including nightly headliners like Lights, Arkells, Trooper, Phillip Phillips, Headstones, Theory of a Deadman and Brett Kissel. There were also nightly fireworks, when the weather allowed for it.
While this year’s K-Days will be remembered as largely successful, there was one violent incident in which three people were stabbed at midway. All three men, aged 19, 22 and 26, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident caused Northlands to add additional security measures.
WATCH: K-Days 2015 by the Numbers (via Northlands)
K-Days attendance numbers from the past decade
- 2015 – 785,290
- 2014 – 740,840
- 2013 – 781,743 (First year re-branded as K-Days)
- 2012 – 740,339
- 2011 – 713,546
- 2010 – 747,660
- 2009 – 717,245
- 2008 – 743,374
- 2007 – 773,000
- 2006 – 688,369 (First year re-branded as Capital EX)
- 2005 – 810,503 (Last year as Klondike Days)
Graphic by Leo Kavanagh, Global Graphics
With files from Caley Ramsay, Gabrielle Brown & Emily Mertz, Global News.
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