This year’s Manyfest has been cancelled due to the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak.
The decision to cancel the event, which had been scheduled for Sept. 11-13, comes after consultation with the city and Mantioba Health, organizers said Tuesday.
“We explored a variety of options and scenarios that would meet health guidelines however a scaled down event would ultimately not guarantee a smaller crowd and physical distancing would remain a challenge,” explained Jason Smith of Smith Events and ManyFest’s organizer.
“As a free, non-ticketed event, it would be difficult to anticipate and manage attendance regardless of the festival’s design. Given this and the current climate, we are taking the cautious approach in cancelling this year’s event.”
The event, put on by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, would have marked its 10th anniversary this year.
Manyfest is the city’s largest street festival and annually brings thousands of people to the intersection of Broadway and Memorial Boulevard for three days of food, entertainment and arts.
Organizers say more than 80,000 people attended last year’s festival.