Special events have long been used to entice visitors to the Banff townsite and surrounding national park to spend their bucks.
But pressure to hold a growing number of events, particularly commercial competitive events, has proven controversial in the community amid concerns over overcrowding, parking and traffic problems – and effects on wildlife.
There are also ongoing philosophical discussion about the appropriateness of hosting commercial special events in a national park.
Ongoing debate on the issue led to council’s development of a special events policy last year. Last month, politicians decided to give the policy one more trial year to see where things stand.
Most council candidates say Banff is tapped out in summer, but argue there’s still room to grow special events to draw more visitors to the national park townsite in the less busy shoulder seasons.
Mayoral hopeful Hugh Pettigrew said Banff is tapped out for special events during the busy months from the May long weekend until mid-October.
“We should not allow any special events that close roads and take away parking inventory during busy times,” he said. “This simply exacerbates congestion.”
On the other hand, Pettigrew said, the Town should support special events that are held during the shoulder season.
He said Melissa’s road race was a great example of a well run event during a slower business period.
“It’s sad that it ran into too much red tape and is now defunct,” he said.
“The Terry Fox Run, the Ekiden Run are also good examples because of their minimal impact on traffic.”
Mayor Karen Sorensen said Banff’s tourism economy has been extremely strong over the past four years.
She said, however, that not long ago Banff’s economy was dragged down by the financial crisis of 2008 and an effort was made to ensure local businesses continued to thrive by attracting visitors through special events.
“The Town of Banff has learned a lot about why, how and particularly when, events should be run,” said Sorensen.
“Events like our Canada Day celebrations are a wonderful time for our community to celebrate with visitors and I hold all events up to that standard.”
Sorensen said she’s heard from many Banffites that special events should not negatively affect residents and visitors, especially during the busy times of the year, noting new special events should not be allowed from the May long weekend to the Labour Day weekend.
“All events should add value to residents and visitors, minimize impacts on neighborhoods, respect the national park and only occur during slower times of the year, when businesses need support,” she said.
The policy governing special events and festivals, approved in July 2016, set a cap on the number of days events are allowed in the Banff townsite – it was much higher than the then existing number and paved the way for many more events.
Except for farmers markets, the policy allows for greater capacity for seasonal markets and craft fairs, food and beverage events, sporting and recreation events and cultural events in town.
It seems that most of our special events have an athletic focus and occur in summer, when the town is already at peak congestion. Traffic flow is something I would like to address if elected, but until changes are made I would hesitate to add new summer events. I feel there is room to encourage more special events in spring and fall when the Town is less busy. I also think there should be a greater diversity of events – not just athletics, but also cultural events, for example, film and book fairs, arts and crafts markets, concerts, and/or cultural celebrations for the Aboriginal or Filipino communities. These things could be interesting to Albertans who are not athletes and also help keep tourism up all year.
I believe special events still serve a purpose in Banff. Yes, we have hosted various events with mixed results with a few events leading to traffic congestion and parking problems. However, we need to continue to promote the brand of Banff in the global marketplace and I consider special events a unique way to showcase and celebrate our community through vibrancy and animation.
If elected, I will work to ensure that council’s expectations in the visitor experience service area are met – ensure traffic and pedestrian disruption is minimized; visitor experience/destination events plan and goals are reviewed regularly, and actions are updated annually; and that our business community and residents feel well informed and consulted about events, projects and services.
I think we need special events as they are a part of the fabric of our community. Growing up here, I used to love the parades, Winterstart activities, Santa sleigh rides and many more. Looking back, that was a large part of why it was so fun growing up here for me.
I know some events are more cumbersome with regards to traffic, and some are louder than others. I do think there needs to be some further guidelines established as to how many events involve traffic, how many events are exempt from a noise bylaw and so forth. To think we are tapped as far as events go would disappoint me as our culture is ever evolving and as such, events will change. Events will always bring community together in different ways and I hope we continue to encourage events with an eye on balanced effects of traffic, noise and time of year.
Some event promotion companies think any event is a good event. Some environmentalists think any event is harmful. As a community, let’s promote events that are a good fit for Banff; events that celebrate our mountain culture, our spirit of adventure and our love of nature. We’re being criticized in comparison to the best parks in the world; we can raise our standards. If Yosemite Park has appropriate use guidelines, we can too. Imagine a voyageur canoe race and portage, collaborating with First Nations and Métis. We could commemorate Sir George Simpson’s 1841 exploration of the pass that now bears his name, guided by the Mountain Cree leader Peechee – though not over that pass. Wouldn’t that be more fitting than a dragon boat festival?
Special events for a destination tourist town are still important and useful. I think we’ve shown this summer a great ability to utilize an integrated transportation and transit approach to decrease the impact in town.
Our winter festival events and New Years events aren’t a significant challenge – unfortunately, the weather has dealt a blow to several of the most recent winter events.
Five months around summer is still the timeframe with the potentially biggest impact and challenges. ‘Tapped-out’ is not what I would say is the issue. We should probably be considering limits to the number of tickets or cars that can enter the town for such events, assuming we can handle perimeter parking and transit mechanisms in support.
Quality over quantity should become a basis of our new thinking; with some limits management well considered and executed.
I feel that the summer season should not have an increased number of large town wide special events as the town is already full and there is a lot impact on our residents, roadways and visitors. At all times of the year events are evaluated against the festival and special event policy which sets maximums for frequency and length of time of events. This policy has been in place for one year, was recently reviewed by council and will be reviewed again next fall. The recent review of the festival and special event policy allowed the addition of block street parties as they were inadvertently omitted (as my neighbours and I discovered when we tried to organize such an event). At all times of year, I believe being in Banff and the Canadian Rockies is a special event in itself.
The right event at the right time is key. The Town and Banff Lake Louise Tourism have been responsive to concerns about events, but the actions have produced mixed results. Dragon boat races are no longer held during the height of summer, however, hosting an antique car show where traffic and parking are high profile challenges is a worrying choice.
Events enhance the quality of life for locals when in synch with demographics. New Year’s Eve on Banff Avenue as a family event is great, but a beer garden option for others would be embraced and help curtail clandestine sips of gluhwein ahead of fireworks. Off-season programs such as dine-arounds are huge opportunities to showcase Banff. While it no longer falls into shoulder season, for Melissa’s Road Race to end after 38 years is a disservice to history in the words of volunteers and athletes, and harms earnings for staff at local businesses.
I understand the frustration many residents have in regard to special events coming to town and affecting traffic and general congestion within the core. However, I feel that we need to maintain an adequate level of special events to keep visitors and residents engaged in community events. Including, but not limited to, events like the Banff Farmers Market and the Canada Day celebrations, allow us to come together as a community. These events give residents the opportunity to get out into the community and meet one another, celebrate our town and come together to realize how lucky we are to live in such a great place. These events also give us the opportunity to welcome visitors and give them a ‘community’ experience while they are visiting our town. I think the Town of Banff must remain vigilant in approving events that align with the needs and wants of the residents and these events must also reflect and respect the distinctive character of Banff itself.
I think special events have been a problem of timing more than a problem with the event itself. If you look at Melissa’s Road Race, it was always held at the end of September as things slowed down for the season. It was an event that brought in a lot of tourists at a time when locals needed the business, and it raised money for non-profits. It benefited locals in our community and had a long history in the Town of Banff, running at a time of year when traffic and parking problems were not as big an issue. It’s an example of the kind of criteria we should apply to approving events in our town.
Events that run over a short summer period easily cause residents to become stressed by ongoing traffic and parking problems, so while I think there is room for special events, we need to look at timing, at spreading events throughout the year, at limiting the number of events in any month, and look closely at the impact the events have when shutting down Banff Avenue, an effect that is different in the middle of January than in the middle of July.
Festivals and special events can bring an added level of energy and excitement to the town site. I believe it’s about finding a balance. For example, we don’t need any new events happening during peak summer season when we are already busy, but we should continue to ensure the success of events that help animate Banff during slower times.
The special events here in Banff are one of the things that make Banff so special. Our community of the small town with the big heart is exemplified by how we come together to host such incredible events. I am a strong supporter of events here in town that introduce our destination to so many new visitors. Having said that, I feel these events need to be well managed. We need to work with Parks to ensure that our events are putting Banff’s well being first. We also need these events to not incur an expense to the taxpayer. We often waive fees for signage and permits. I feel we need to work with the tourism bureau to be accountable for these events and analyze them post mortem. Events need to benefit the businesses, residents and the park.
Special events cover such a broad spectrum that a definitive answer is difficult. Every day in Banff is a special event for our visitors and when we look up and take a fresh breath of mountain air it should be special for us who live here too. I think we need to keep that first in our thoughts when considering how we wish to show off our town.
We have events to show our liberty: The Freedom of the Town Parade; to commemorate our hi Remembrance Day; Canada Day, to have a party: Santa Clause Parade and again to highlight our athleticism: Melissa’s Race, The Banff Marathon, The Ekiden. Many of these and other past events bring more people to town, which in turn usually translates into more money for our businesses.
This is where the balance comes; how much are we willing to amend and compromise our busy mountain town and our lives to embrace the celebrations? I believe every event must undergo an annual critique to see if it suits our current vision and carries on.
The number of special events is actually decreasing in our community. There have been a number of events that have come and gone, including the Bike Fest, Triathlon and Gran Fondo. Sadly, even Melissa’s Road Race has chosen not to continue, which is a real loss for our community. Most of the events that remain are outside of the summer months and take place during the shoulder seasons.
I believe special events can be very effective as a catalyst to encourage visitors to come to town. As a small business owner, I see the impact they have and it does increase business and visitation.
I think our summer season is too busy to host special events. I support special events when they are done outside of the summer months, but the events have to be managed and mitigated. We need to limit the number of events per year and we need to schedule the events at times that will have the least impact on the community and other visitors. During the winter and shoulder seasons we have capacity so no we are not “tapped out.”
I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily tapped out for special events, but I don’t see them as something we necessarily need more of and should be seeking out either. I believe the town’s current policy of limiting special events in the summer is reasonable. In general though, I believe the town should be open to new events, especially homegrown ones. Policy C5001 – Festivals and Special Events sets out some good limitations, while leaving ourselves open to some new possibilities. I’m generally not one to blanket close doors on opportunities. I prefer to evaluate them in light of the situation at the time. I believe the current policy puts some reasonable limitations on things, while keeping us open to new opportunities.
Tony Bambuco and Jon Whelan did not meet the Outlook’s deadline.
