Bradford's Carrot Fest 2021 was a very different kind of street festival.
Gwilly the Carrot mascot was there; along with buskers, fire jugglers, BMX stunt riders and bands. And once again the Holland Marsh Growers Association handed out free bags of carrots.
But this year, there was no vendors’ market, no crowds thronging the streets, and COVID-19 protocols meant that numbers were strictly limited, masks required, and social distancing encouraged.
Festival-goers were asked to pre-register for specific events, and Holland Street remained open to traffic, with all events held at either the Busker Pitch in the Courthouse parking lot, or on Barrie Street, at the Curtis Goddard Team Stage.
The HMGA brought only 2,000 bags of carrots, not the 10,000 bags supplied in a normal year - and this time around, it was a challenge to give all of the carrots away.
Still, said Bethany Kuboniwa, Leisure Events co-ordinator with the Town of BWG, “It’s something!”
After a year of cancellations and closures, residents could enjoy live music and busker shows, free entertainment on a hot summer day.
“It celebrates our agricultural roots and small business,” MPP Caroline Mulroney said of Carrot Fest, noting that the past 18 months have placed a strain on local businesses and growers, but “they haven’t stopped working to put food on our tables.”
Speaking at the 2020-2021 Civic Awards ceremony, she told the small crowd, “Now we can actually get out and support small businesses” and the farmers who have carried on through the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, it is a little abbreviated Carrot Fest, but we are going ahead,” said BWG Mayor Rob Keffer.