FERGUS – After nearly three years without an in-person Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, 2022’s return to form appears to have been a smashing success.
Final attendance numbers are still being tallied but Elizabeth Bender, festival executive director, said organizers are sure it was a record setting year. The last festival in 2019 saw 22,000 visitors.
“The crowds were large but I actually was just reading a message from somebody saying it didn’t feel overcrowded, it felt nice,” Bender said.
There was some anxiety over hosting an event in a post-pandemic world but Bender said they rolled with the challenges and delivered a high-calibre and safe event.
“We went into this having no idea how many people would come. So it really was great to have the support that people were ready to come back, wanted to come back and had a good time.”
The weather held out for festival goers, some of whom came as far away as Australia.
Overall, Bender could tell walking the site that people of all ages were enjoying all aspects of the festival with the special guests from the Outlander novel and TV series as a highlight.
Bender acknowledged there were challenges with having enough volunteers because as the festival approached there were multiple volunteers who felt unwell and didn’t feel comfortable on site.
This meant team members ended up juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities to get the job done, including Bender who said she was out picking up litter each morning.
“We needed people in multiple places and so we prioritized and each took a spot, and that’s what you do because we want our patrons to have that really great experience,” Bender said. “It is one of the things that I love the most about the festival.”
Bender said the festival crew is looking forward to a break now that clean-up is essentially over at the CW Sportsplex grounds. However, feedback is rolling in and ideas are coming through for the 2023 festival.
“Give us a couple weeks and then we’ll be back up and planning for the next year,” Bender said.
