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Festival takes shape

Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 07/04) - Yellowknife Aurora Festival task force has taken a step closer to floating a proposal to consolidate several winter celebrations with a single marketing theme.

"The Yellowknife Aurora Festival is a new marketing plan for our existing winter events," James Pugsley, interim general manager for the festival, said at a meeting this week.

The festival would consolidate everything Yellowknife has to offer in the winter into one large event focused around February and March.

That includes but is not limited to: Caribou Carnival, the Snow King's castle, diamond themes, and the Canadian Championship Dog Derby, with the aurora borealis as the key marketing theme of the festival.

The specifics of the festival have not been decided, but Pugsley wants to get people thinking and discussing ideas for next winter.

"We're all tired and we all had a long winter, but we have to start planning for next year," said Pugsley, who was marketing director for the 2004 Caribou Carnival.

Pugsley is quick to point out that Yellowknife should start small. The feedback Pugsley has received from Yellowknifers suggests the community is not ready to host a huge festival next year.

One or two small aurora-themed events this winter could be used as a starting point to be built on in future years. This would help ensure sustainability for the festival.

The task force will hold its final meeting in June, after which Pugsley will compile a report based on recommendations he has received.

The golden anniversary

Caribou Carnival was a success this year, Pugsley said, and Yellowknife should build on that.

"The 50-year anniversary is coming up. From a marketing guy's point of view it's a huge opportunity," Pugsley said.

Caribou Carnival's big year coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Snow King's castle.

Anthony Foliot (the Snow King) said at the meeting he is optimistic about next year and thinks the Aurora Festival may help him get more big-name performers to Yellowknife.

The aurora task force recognizes that Japanese are a huge market for tourism in the North, but would like to see Yellowknife get more exposure in other parts of the world.

Karin Masse, director of communications for the conseil de developpement economique des TNO, thinks Quebec is a good place to look for winter travellers.

"They're outdoor lovers, and they love hunting and fishing," Masse said at the meeting.

That theory seems to be working for the cow-punching province to the south.

Since Alberta began promoting tourism with French brochures several years ago, numbers of francophone tourists in the province have increased by 50 per cent, Masse said.