FILE PHOTO - The Vernon Winter Carnival Balloon Glow event.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Wayne Emde Photography

Organizers for the largest winter carnival in Canada’s west are hoping for a return to the number of attendees and events it had pre-COVID-19 pandemic.

Plans for the 62nd annual Vernon Winter Carnival in February 2022 are going full speed ahead.

“With COVID, we’re always facing challenges but with a year under our belts of adapting as need be, I think it’s a little less stressful this year and (we’re) just waiting and seeing how the vaccine passports start to work with events,” said Vicki Proulx, executive director of the Vernon Winter Carnival.

This past February, events like the parade and other carnival staples were kiboshed due to the pandemic.

READ MORE: 61st Vernon Winter Carnival gets ready to launch

“Our goal is to have a normal carnival,” she said, adding they’ll be following Interior Health protocols.

Next year, a lot of events will be outdoors and the carnival will see the return of some old events including the popular ice sculpture competition at SilverStar Mountain Resort, a parade, snow-pitch, snow-golf and disc golf tournaments.

There will be no festival theme this year as a homage to the carnival’s beginnings. When Vernon Winter Carnival began there wasn't a theme and one wasn't incorporated into the festival until 1985.

“The carnival used to do snow-pitch many years ago so it was an event we wanted to bring back last year… and didn’t get the chance to do it but we’re pretty confident we’ll be able to do it this year,” Proulx said.

Jam Can Curling is also in the works for the elementary schools in Vernon, she said.

Past winter carnivals in a non-pandemic years featured more than 100 events.

The society is still looking for volunteers and is still accepting events. The deadline to register for an event or to become a sponsor is Oct. 31. Tickets for winter carnival go on sale in early December.

“I would encourage anyone that wants to get involved that you may have to adapt and change but that’s why we’re here to help… we will figure out a way to adapt and make the festival as safe as possible,” Proulx said.

For more information on the winter carnival, visit the festival's website here.

Vernon Winter Carnival takes place Feb. 4 to 13, 2022.

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