Flooding cancels Canada's National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin

Flooding cancels Canada's National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin

All festival and camping passes will be honoured in 2027, organizers say

Flooding in western Manitoba has claimed one of the largest cultural events for the Ukrainian community in Canada.

The board of directors of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival says it is cancelling this year's event in Dauphin, which was scheduled to run July 31 to Aug. 2.

The festival, which has been running since 1965, spans three days on a 120-hectare site known as Selo Ukraina, or Ukrainian Village, 10 kilometres south of Dauphin — a city of around 8,400, including many people of Ukrainian descent.

It features four to five stages, grandstand amphitheaters, an interactive cultural village and campgrounds, and typically draws around 5,000 visitors, according to organizers.

Parts of Dauphin and the surrounding Parkland region were inundated by flooding in late June and again in July, leading the City of Dauphin, the Rural Municipality of Dauphin and several neighbouring municipalities to declare states of emergency.

Though the Ukrainian festival site itself was not directly affected by the flooding, many residents and "critical infrastructure" in the area were, including washed-out roads and rail lines, a notice from the festival's board posted on the festival website and social media channels states.

The hospital in Dauphin has also been closed, after it was evacuated on July 1 when water streamed into the basement.

That's forced the relocation of health-care services to other communities, creating "significant challenges in providing timely medical care for our large event," the board's message said.

Parts of Dauphin's hospital likely closed for months after flooding, CEO expects

More than 50 Manitoba municipalities have declared local states of emergency due to flooding, storms

After consulting with local officials and the festival's insurance provider, the board says it determined it "cannot confidently provide the safe environment our performers, patrons, volunteers, sponsors, vendors and staff deserve."

The cancellation affects all scheduled festival events at the Selo site, as well as the annual parade in Dauphin.

All festival and camping passes will be honoured in 2027, or people can choose to be refunded, the board's message said.

More information on how to apply for refunds will be posted in the coming days.

The board extended its gratitude to everyone for their patience and understanding during a "challenging time."

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"Our hearts remain with everyone across the Parkland region, who have been impacted by flooding, and the local state of emergency," its message states.

"We look forward to welcoming all of you back to the Selo festival site in 2027."