(Facebook/Humboldt Summer Sizzler)

By Cam Lee

Summer Sizzler Cancelled

Humboldt Summer Sizzler 2020 cancelled

Apr 30, 2020 | 10:17 AM

Another local event has been cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Humboldt has announced the cancellation of Summer Sizzler 2020, that was to be held in the community June 18-21.

The annual event features an amusement midway, parade, free concerts, and more.

Director of Community and Leisure Services Mike Ulriksen told northeastNOW they were forced to cancel the event for a number of reasons, including the crowd-size restrictions declared by the provincial and federal governments.

“The restrictions to gatherings do not appear that they’re going to be lifted in advance of the June 18 weekend and, as such, we had to make a call sometime as soon as possible as to whether we were going to continue to plan and move ahead,” Ulriksen said.

Riderville

Now for the Hard Part

55m ago

Seniors Scene

Christmas is Coming

Dec 09, 2025

Grey Cup!!!

Everything you wanted and more

Nov 21, 2025

He said they had to make a decision as to whether to line up sponsorships and book vendors, or cancel the event.

However, that decision proved to be unnecessary. West Coast Amusements, who were booked to supply the midway, told the city that they are suspending their operations for the 2020 season until further notice.

“Having lost that main component of our event, and with the inability to have larger crowds at this point, or any guarantee that we’ll be able to, it really put a lot of our other attractions at risk of not being able to happen as well,” Ulriksen said.

Those other attractions includes the parade, the strong person competition, the Comic Con event, and a cabaret. Ulriksen said the entire Sizzler is about getting people together, and the restrictions make the event impossible.

Ulriksen said they’re looking at ways of taking some of the components of the Sizzler and other community events, and look at what the summer might hold once some of the public gathering restrictions have eased. He said an event like the strong person competition could be livestreamed rather than having it in a public setting.

“What can we do to livestream things for people to see, and more importantly once the restrictions are lifted in the coming months and weeks, how are we able to safely host events that constantly are growing in sizes as we get further along in this process,” Ulriksen said.

Ulriksen’s department continues to look at the next three month window and what could take place.

He said he wants residents, visitors, organizers, and businesses to know that the decision to cancel the Summer Sizzler wasn’t made lightly. He looks forward to continue to grow the event into 2021.

–

cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974