PNE a ‘virtual sellout’ for 2022 season, spokesperson says
Posted September 6, 2022 1:02 pm.
Last Updated September 6, 2022 1:44 pm.
The PNE has wrapped up another season, marking another indication that we’re back to the fall routine.
The fair finished with a total of almost 530-thousand people walking through the gates during the event’s 17-day run.
Although attendance was only about 75 per cent of what it was pre-pandemic, PNE spokesperson Laura Ballance says “it was almost a virtual sellout.”
“We built the fair with a max capacity of 75 per cent, and we sold to almost that. It was one of the best years on record,” Ballance told CityNews.
Organizers limited the number of ride and gate passes offered each day at the fair this year in order to prevent overcrowding.
New PNE format may be here to stay
Ballance says the response from people who attended was “overwhelmingly positive.”
She explains this new format might be something the fair implements each year moving forward.
“The daily tickets and having a capacity (limit), I anticipate that will stay, although we may adjust the level of the cap. We found that people … had an overwhelmingly positive response to having a little bit more space, for people to have a little bit more room to spread out.”
Ballance adds, having the opportunity to plan for how many guests to expect each day can also help with mapping out the park, staffing, and ordering for the fair itself.
There’s still one thing that’s outstanding though: We don’t know the winner of the Prize Home draw yet. That will be announced on Monday.
The PNE’s next event will be the return of ‘Fright Nights’, which kicks off Oct. 7.
