Ukrainian Festival cancelled due to flooding, closure of Dauphin hospital

Sopilka dancers from Winnipeg perform at Canada's National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014.

Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival is cancelled for this year amid flooding and the closure of the Dauphin hospital.

In a news release, event organizers explained that recent flooding did not directly impact the Selo Festival Site, which is where the event is held every August long weekend in the RM of Dauphin. However, they noted, heavy rain brought devastation to homes, farms, roads and critical infrastructure in the area.

The news release goes on to say the flooding caused severe damage to the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, prompting the facility to close for an extended period. In the meantime, emergency health-care services have been relocated to communities over 30 minutes away, which makes it hard to provide timely medical care for an event the size of the Ukrainian Festival.

With all this in mind, organizers said they have opted to cancel the event and annual parade as they “cannot confidently provide the safe environment our performers, patrons, volunteers, sponsors, vendors and staff deserve.

“Our hearts remain with everyone across the Parkland region who has been impacted by flooding and the local State of Emergency,” the news release said.

“We look forward to welcoming all of you back to the Selo Festival site in 2027.”

All purchased festival passes can be fully refunded or rolled over to the 2027 event.