Virtual Seafest Parade brought some sunshine on a Rainy Rupert Day

The Seafest Parade went virtual for 2020 owing to COVID
(From PR Special Events/CityWest virtual parade)

It's a rare occasion that Prince Rupert's at times famous weather has laid low the Annual Seafest Parade; so something like a global pandemic wasn't going to stop the community from celebrating, even if in a revised format for a year.

If we couldn't be on a sidewalk downtown on Saturday this year, watching a Virtual Version of the annual Seafest Parade 2020 was a welcome substitute in these COVID challenging times.

With the tough, but necessary decision to cancel this years mass gathering in downtown Prince Rupert, the Special Events Society quickly found a way to keep the Seafest Spirit alive this year.

Launching their Turning the Tide project in May, asking for submissions from around the region to present as a Virtual Parade which aired on Saturday morning at 11 AM.

Sure the 2020 version was a little shorter than the parade of normal times and you had to grill your kebobs for a year; but considering the circumstances and the short timeline, the project certainly captured the spirit of our annual event and offers up the hope for a return to the more familiar in 20201.

From Marching Bands and Dance Groups to virtual floats and special performances, the half hour of the virtual parade has a little something for everyone.

And just like the normal parade, the rain of Saturday morning stopped just as the introduction to the parade from CityWest's Tina Lussier rolled across the screen.

The online version of the long standing Prince Rupert tradition streamed live on CityWest Cable 10SD/310HD, taking the virtual parade into homes across the Northwest.

Such was the work that went into Saturday's virtual parade, that the benchmark for communities across the Northwest has now been set ...

So ramp it Up Kitimat for Canada Day, Show us your Best Smithers for the Fall Fair and we'll be waiting Terrace for the word on what video plans you have for Riverboat Days ...

It's a Well Done to the Prince Rupert Special Events Society, CityWest and all those who submitted their presentations for Parade Day, they helped in turning the Tide towards next year and the chance to line the streets once again!

The parade can be viewed below or through the CityWest Facebook page.




For more notes related to Community events see our archive page here.