Richmond Hill named Municipality of the Year for festivals and events

'Being judged as the best in the industry is something we are very proud of,' says Mayor Dave Barrow

Yorkregion.com
March 13, 2019
Sheila Wang

The Town of Richmond Hill has been named Municipality of the Year at the 2019 Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) annual conference.

It's the first time Richmond Hill has won the award, which recognizes the best in municipal leadership, festivals and events partnerships across Ontario.

“We are honoured to receive this prestigious award recognizing Richmond Hill’s efforts in building and supporting our community festivals and events,” said Mayor Dave Barrow. “Being judged as the best in the industry is something we are very proud of.”

FEO announced, on Feb. 28, that Richmond Hill tied with Hamilton for the award in the category of "population more than 150,000." Both municipalities were awarded for their great festivals and events held from Nov. 1, 2017, to Oct. 31, 2018.

Richmond Hill boasts a great variety of fun festivals and great events all year around, from the lighthearted concerts in the park that always bring people together through music, to the unique Taste of Hill, which celebrates multiculturalism with food and arts.

Meanwhile, the large-scale celebrations of Canada Day in Richmond Hill have made it to the 2019 Top 100 Festivals and Events in Ontario, which attracted tens of thousands of people last year with its firework display, live entertainment and activities.

Aurora’s Haunted Forest and tree-lighting ceremony, as well as Vaughan’s Concerts in the Park were also among the top 100 festival and events in Ontario.

FEO was established in 1987 as an association devoted to the growth and stability of the festival and event industry in Ontario. FEO supports a lively, engaged and dedicated festival and events industry by sharing knowledge, enabling networking and providing leadership on education, advocacy and promotion.

The festivals and events industry in Ontario is estimated to generate more than $2.3 billion annually in contribution to regional GDP, to create or sustain about 50,000 full-year equivalent jobs and to foster about $1 billion in taxes at all levels of government.

The event coming up in Richmond Hill is the 2019 Cultural Summit on March 26 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Artists, arts organization and culture lovers are welcome, to learn more about what's happening in town.