The first weekend of Terrace’s annual Riverboat Days festival has been declared a success by organizers, who say strong community support, packed events and a welcoming atmosphere made for a memorable start to the 10-day celebration.
Riverboat Days Society Board President Brian Downie said he was pleased with how the long weekend unfolded, highlighting strong attendance at several events.
“I was really, really pleased with how it’s gone so far,” Downie said. “We had a great turnout for the parade, we were very happy with our opening ceremony on Friday night, and then Concerts in the Park really hit the mark. People very much enjoyed the whole experience in the park.”
The festival weekend also coincided with a major TELUS service outage that affected much of northwestern B.C. However, Downie said the disruption had little impact on Riverboat Days events.
“I don’t think that we were affected,” he said. “If you were going to fill up with gas, you were inconvenienced for sure, but I don’t think the festival itself was.”
While individual events stood out, Downie said much of the positive feedback has focused on the overall atmosphere throughout the festival.
“The whole festival is a great opportunity to get together with friends and family, and for visitors to be welcomed into Terrace,” he said. “It’s not so much individual comments, it’s just the whole atmosphere and how people enjoyed themselves. I really believe that we were very successful.”
Downie also credited the volunteers, sponsors and local businesses that make the festival possible each year.
“Riverboat Days is an event with lots of volunteers and lots of businesses and sponsors that step up,” he said. “A lot of people are very active in hosting their event or being part of making the festival happen. They really should take all the credit for the success we see.”
Although the busiest weekend has wrapped up, Riverboat Days is not over yet.
Downie is encouraging residents to attend the remaining events, including Movie in the Park at George Little Park, which features a family-friendly evening with a barbecue before the film begins. The festival will wrap up Saturday night with the popular drone show at Christie Park, alongside the final night of the Luna’s Pulse electronic music and light show at the Terrace Curling Rink.
“We’re looking forward to having a good experience,” Downie said of the drone show. “It’s always a highlight when you see the animated images
in the sky.”
