A lot of people from this area make the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair an autumn tradition.
But not this year.
The ongoing concern regarding the COVID-19 pandemic means The Royal will have to wait for another year.
The Royal’s Board of Directors today made the "heart-wrenching but unanimous decision" to cancel the 2020 fair, originally scheduled for November 6 to 15 at Exhibition Place, Toronto.
See: Northern businesses showcased at the 2019 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
“Over the past several months, we’ve all experienced an unprecedented disruption to our daily lives and are redefining how we live, work and play," stated Charlie Johnstone, Chief Executive Officer at The Royal. "Ultimately, our decision is grounded in our commitment to help ensure the health and well-being of our community at large,”
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the largest combined indoor agricultural fair and international equestrian competition in the world.
Each fall, The Royal brings together hundreds of competitors, thousands of animals and hundreds of thousands of visitors to celebrate the best in agriculture, local food, and equestrian competition.
The Royal has been cancelled on only one other occasion, during World War II. At that time, the stalls within the historic Royal Horse Palace were transformed into Army Barracks to house soldiers preparing to be deployed to join Canadian and Allied troops fighting in Europe.
