The Winnipeg International Children’s Festival began in 1983 at Assiniboine Park. 1,700 people paid to see twenty performing artists supported by 300 volunteers who helped make the Festival a success.
The following six years the Festival was at Kildonan Park, then moved in 1990 to the Forks National Historic Park, where it remains today. Over the years the Festival has grown to over 1,000 volunteers, general admission of more than 40,000 people and a at it’s peak a budget as high as $750,000.In 1995, the WICF took a bold step in redesigning it’s format. We changed from a “pay per view” system to “pay once – see all” format.
This format was widely successful and allowed children to see many more shows than they had in previous years. This format change influenced how the rest of the Festival operates – the Festival is now made up of over 30 acts, held over four days, for a total of approximately 120 performances.Kidsfest has become the premier summer family event in Manitoba and is a leader in the Canadian Children’s Festival community.
