The numbers are in for Winterfest and over 23,000 attended the popular Barrie event from across the province, including a group of more than 50 friends and family who chartered a bus from the Oshawa area.
A memo from community events co-ordinator Arin Donnelly was included in Monday night's information package at city council.
The popular annual event was held Feb. 2-3, with outdoor events at Heritage Park and Meridian Place, in addition to other programming at venues throughout the community.
"Winterfest experiences visitation from outside of our region and attracts a diverse audience seeking an introduction to the winter experience," Donnelly said in her report. "Many Barrie residents have made it a winter tradition."
According to survey responses, the most popular attraction at the festival was the ice and snow sculptures, followed the lumberjack show and other family entertainment.
Almost three-quarters of the people who completed the survey ranked their experience as an eight out of 10.
Close to 96 per cent of people also said they plan to return to Winterfest, while about one-third of respondents said it was their first time.
The event also generated more than $35,000 value in cash and in-kind support from partners and sponsors.
More than 60 per cent of people said they shopped or dined downtown, with close to half spending more than $50.
This year, a partnership was formed with the Barrie Native Friendship Centre to celebrate their 31st anniversary and to highlight Indigenous culture.
The theme for this year’s ice and snow sculptures featured wildlife representing the clans of the local Indigenous community, as well as a unique display of artwork created by friends of the centre in a special workshop and suspended in ice.
Programming included learning about the history of Indigenous maple syrup harvesting, tasting bannock, trying hoop dance, learning traditional stories and songs from an elder, and more. Over 10,000 people engaged with Barrie Native Friendship Centre staff and programming.
In March, Winterfest was named as one of the Top 100 Events in Ontario by industry association Festivals & Events Ontario.The Tourism Barrie video ad campaign reached almost 340,000 on social media.
