Many people were embracing the return of something “normal” at the Saanich Fair this weekend, while others weren’t quite sure they were ready to be in a crowd.
“It feels nice to do something normal… because we’ve been cooped up so long,” said Lois Underwood, an annual visitor to the festival.
Her daughter, Hope Underwood, was feeling a little more nervous, choosing to wear her mask throughout the festival grounds. “It makes me anxious, such large crowds,” she said.
Shirley Butler, president of the fair, estimated roughly 30,000 people visited the fair over the weekend. Sunday brought bigger crowds, with lineups at the entrance from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“It’s so nice, because everybody’s been in lockdown and now all of a sudden we can go and do something,” she said.
The fair is scaled back this year, and one of the main events, the horse show, was cancelled just this week because not enough horses were entered. There were fewer entries from the public in many competitions, Butler said, and some events were adapted from competition with public entries to display only, because of low numbers.
Dan Melchior said it felt “a little bit weird” to return to the fair, and he wasn’t expecting so many people to attend, but it also made him feel hopeful.
“I haven’t been in a setting like this with so many people in about two years, so it’s very strange,” he said.
His wife, Heather Melchior, said she was glad to be out, but COVID-19 concerns were still in the back of her mind.
In Langford, about 3,000 people attended the All Ways Home music festival on Saturday, co-organizer Stephen Franke said. The festival continued Sunday.
He would have expected slightly higher numbers, he said, but he’s not surprised that some people were scared off by a recent rise in case numbers.
Those who did attend were “super happy to have an event to go to and feel normal,” he said.
The Highlands Games and Greek Fest also took place this weekend, marking some of the first large events in the region since the pandemic began.
Greek Fest (greekfest.ca) and the Saanich Fair (saanichfair.ca) both conclude on Monday. The Highland Games and All Ways Home finished on Sunday.
