Whoop-Up Days


Whoop-Up Days is an annual non-profit festival, exhibition and rodeo held in Lethbridge, Alberta, for five days in the last full week of August.
The event includes a 4-km parade through downtown, daily concerts, bull riding, a rodeo, an indoor and outdoor trade show, entertainment on the free stage, a midway, HobbyWorld and citywide pancake breakfasts. In 2007, a record-breaking attendance at the event numbered 69,964. The previous record was set in 2006 when 67,590 visitors attended.
Economic impact from the fair amounts to roughly $2.5 million spent by event operations, locals and 13,000 visitors.

Location

Whoop-Up Days takes place at the Exhibition Park, which is on the eastern edge of the city. Permanent structures at the site include a 10,664 m² pavilion complex, Heritage Hall, Pioneer Park, a grandstand, and a racetrack.

History

The first fair was held on 5 October 1897 at the agricultural grounds in Queen Victoria Park. It included stage presentations, traveling shows and horse racing.
In 1904, eight years before the Calgary Stampede, the first large-scale rodeo was staged as part of Whoop-Up Days.
In 1912, the festival was moved to its current location east of Henderson Park.