This year’s Jack Frost Winterfest in Charlottetown was a success, with attendance up 11 per cent over last year.
Organizers said Friday that close to 7,000 Islanders and visitors participated in the event this year, which ran Feb. 16-18.
The winter festival is a collaborative project put on by a committee with representatives from the Hotel Association of P.E.I., City of Charlottetown, Special Events Reserve Fund (SERF), Discover Charlottetown, Downtown Charlottetown and the Eastlink Centre. The initiative creates an anchor winter tourism product and demand during a traditionally slow time.
John Cudmore, chairman of the festival, said 37 per cent of guests were visitors from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
“I am also thrilled to report that hotel packages are up 15 per cent over 2017 and 45 per cent since the group took the festival over in 2015,’’ Cudmore said.
Dawn Alan, executive director of Downtown Charlottetown, said this year they worked hard to create a bigger impact among the entire business community.
“The Guardian’s Frosty Night brought close to 2,500 people to the downtown for a free concert and fireworks show,’’ Alan said. “This had a very positive impact on downtown restaurants with many reporting increases over 2017.’’
Planning is already underway for next year with the festival set to take place Feb. 15-17, 2019.
“The festival plans to capitalize on this weekend by extending the length of stay in 2019 with three-day hotel packages to grow off-Island attendance,’’ said Heidi Zinn, executive director of Discover Charlottetown.
Wayne Long, events development officer with the city, added that festivals like Jack Frost contribute extensively to event tourism in the capital.
Organizers are recruiting new partners for next year. For information on how a business can become involved, contact Tracey Singleton by email at [email protected].
