This year's Midway will house over 30 rides, five of which are new. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

family fun

New attractions and rides added to Prince Albert Summer Fair

Jul 30, 2024 | 12:00 PM

The familiar smells of cotton candy and corn dogs, and the sound of children’s laughter will soon fill Prince Albert’s midtown and east flat areas.

The annual summer fair has returned and all the fun officially gets started tonight with a parade at 6 p.m.

Starting on Central Avenue, near the Gateway Mall, the brightly coloured floats will proceed north, before heading east on River Street, and then turning south on Sixth Avenue East.

Mayor Greg Dionne is also president of the Exhibition Association and expressed his excitement over a number of big changes including having the chuckwagons event run all five days. There’s also a special show and shine on Saturday featuring semi-trucks.

“There’s gonna be 10 semis parked out in front of the grand stands and people can vote and then at 7 p.m. the semis will race on the track,” he said.

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And for those who enjoy the feeling of being suspended high in the air or spun at high speeds, the midway is also expected to be busier.

“We will have over 30 rides and five of them are new so this year is building up to be one of our best years,” Dionne said, adding they’ve also added more security and Prince Albert police will also be patrolling the area.

The parade starts at 6 p.m. and free candy is a guarantee. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

Since COVID, attendance numbers at all fairs across the country have been rising and Dionne confirmed an operator with the Midway confirmed their numbers in Medicine Hat were up six per cent.

“We’ve had more advance tickets sold this year than we did last year,” Dionne said, confirming the summer fair is a good revenue generator for local restaurants, grocery stores and gas stations as all the new RV guests need a place to stock up.

Dionne also encouraged people to check out the new roofs in the food booths area, paid for from last year’s profits.

For a full schedule of this week’s events, click here.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell