New dates for the Pacific National Exhibition could bolster the North Okanagan’s largest event.
Vancouver’s PNE is considering a move from the end of summer to mid-summer.
“If they do change it, it could benefit us in a positive way,” said Bryan Burns, general manager of Armstrong’s Interior Provincial Exhibition.
The IPE starts on the Wednesday before Labour Day and it overlaps with the last five days of the 17-day PNE.
Burns anticipates a lack of duelling schedules would create opportunities for the IPE.
“It could be that more vendors come here and there are more guests that want to go on a road trip,” he said.
“If there’s not a conflict, it’s only a positive.”
PNE officials insist they are just exploring the possibility of shifting dates in 2018.
“The fact is, the weather patterns are changing and over the past 25 years, late August is consistently receiving more rain and experiencing cooler temperatures,” said spokesperson Laura Ballance in a release.
“Our long standing tradition that has us ending on Labour Day may no longer make sense from a weather perspective.”
Poor weather led to a 10 per cent decrease in attendance by the end of the 2015 PNE.
British Columbians can answer a survey about a possible date change at PNE.ca.
“We know that the fair is a beloved event for thousands of families, so we’re going to talk to British Columbians about what they feel the impact of moving the fair into a July window would be,” said Ballance.
The 2016 IPE in Armstrong runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4.