There was no shortage of fun in Stratford this weekend.
Magic shows, inflatable castles and appearances by Star Wars characters and princesses were just some of the activities at the Stratford Winter Famfest Fun Fair held at the town centre over the Islander Day weekend.
April Stevenson and her son Masyn, were both impressed by the variety offered at the indoor event.
“I’m really pleased with all the stuff the town has put together for this. It’s great,” said Stevenson.
Masyn was enjoying getting his face painted as a wolf and playing on the bouncy castles.
However, the festivities weren’t limited to indoors.
The pair had also gone for a sleigh ride and enjoyed the petting zoo at Great North Adventures on Saturday afternoon, which was also part of the festival.
“The things this town can put together is amazing… it’s something we’ll do again next year for sure,” said Stevenson.
Many attendees felt the indoor event had something to offer for everyone, with one youngster, Shamus Driscoll, going just so he could get a picture taken with some Star Wars stormtroopers.
“He’s infatuated with Star Wars,” said his mother, Ellen MacDonald, after snapping a picture of her son.
The festival also included the Stratford Area Lions Club pancake breakfast, a free skate at Pownal Sports Centre, and a family fun night as well as other adventures through the weekend.
This fun-filled weekend fair is Stratford’s recently branded and expanded annual winter carnival.
Duane Pineau, the town’s youth and family coordinator, said the indoor fun fair usually sees about 1,000 people per day.
While attendance wasn’t as high as usual, likely because of Jack Frost Winterfest also occurring on the weekend, the Stratford events provided a nice alternative option for some families.
“We usually get pretty positive feedback, we try to keep our events really affordable or free,” said Pineau.
Activities that weren’t free saw proceeds go to the Stratford Youth Centre for the Par-T-Perfect Fun Zone.
Pineau noted Par-T-Perfect was a partner for the event and provided inflatables and a variety of other activities for the fair.
“They’ve been a great support and a great partner,” said Pineau, who also thanked the many volunteers involved in the events.
Sunday saw members of the Stratford Army Cadets and the town’s youth centre and youth council all volunteer to pull off the event.
[email protected]
Twitter.com/Mitch_PEI
