Anita Stallion shimmied through The Forks market in a sparkly black and blue number and plucked $5 tips from a packed crowd of onlookers while Deborah Cox’s Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here blasted over a set of speakers.
A quick wardrobe change by the drag queen revealed a dazzling silver dress before the performer sashayed through the audience to end her number, which was met with a roaring applause.
The entertainment was part of a drag brunch hosted in collaboration with the recently-shuttered Tallest Poppy restaurant on Sherbrook and The Forks’ new walk-up bar, Passerby Cocktail Bar, as part of New Year’s Day celebrations.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Revelers dance to music provided by a DJ at New Year’s Day festivities at The Forks in Winnipeg Monday.
The Forks swapped its annual nighttime festivities for daytime programming this year. Folklorama and local performances, and games and crafts ran throughout the day both indoors and outdoors.
Just after 10:30 a.m. children’s performer Al Simmons entertained on one side of the Winnipeg 150 Winter Park canopy while the Festival du Voyageur mobile music trailer sound-checked its speakers ahead of a day full of performances on the other side.
Jay Macdonald, Elayna Hurtig and their two-year-old son, Charlie, were exploring the warming huts, which are stationed on the grounds of The Forks until conditions allow for them to be moved to the Nestaweya River Trail.
“There’s lots of fun stuff happening (here),” Macdonald said.
The two read about the event online and stopped by before going to visit family. Last night, the couple kept celebrations low-key with fireworks on the river.
Hurtig said the switch to day-of activities instead of night-before festivities fares well for her young family.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
People take in Story Time In The Teepee with elder Barbara Nepinak at New Year’s Day festivities at The Forks in Winnipeg Monday.
“Our wild days are behind us,” she joked.
“It’s a little bit more inclusive, too. There’s something for everyone here … families can come, you can get whatever you want out of a day like this,” Macdonald added.
Inside, craft tables and board games filled the space in the second-floor lounge area while lines for beer, coffee and snacks snaked through the market’s main floor.
Amid the drag performance, Wienerpeg manager Tiana Russell filmed the performance on her phone during a lull in lunch service.
“It’s definitely a new experience for all of us,” she said.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Sheena Rattai, Event Manager, does crafts with Reyna, 5, and other children at New Year’s Day festivities at The Forks in Winnipeg Monday.
Russell said the event not only feels more family-oriented, but safer for employees of The Forks. Last year a patron got aggressive with one of Russell’s employees and reached over the hot dog stand’s counter to try and grab them.
“It was just very party-based. Drinking, fighting, alcohol … it was a huge safety concern. I feel like (The Forks) are being pretty smart about it,” she said.
Zach Peters, marketing and communications manager for The Forks, said the switch in celebrations was not in response to a concern for public safety, but from the public’s feedback looking for a more family-friendly way to ring in the new year.
“We’ve always celebrated New Year’s here at The Forks in many different ways over the years,” he said. “It’s not to say we won’t ever do fireworks again, it’s not to say this is exactly the mould that we’ll use going forward. We’re always trying to innovate and try new things.”
Peters said a winter survey will be sent out in the next few days for feedback on the day’s festivities to begin planning for next year.
For Russell, she would like to see more daytime programming for holidays moving forward.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Skaters of all abilities enjoyed the rink at the New Year’s Day festivities at The Forks, Monday.
“Fireworks happen all the time. With this, it’s very memorable. It’s not something you see every day.”
nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca
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2024-01-02 01:00:32Z
CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndpbm5pcGVnZnJlZXByZXNzLmNvbS9icmVha2luZ25ld3MvMjAyNC8wMS8wMS9uZXcteWVhci1nZXRzLW9mZi10by1idXN5LXN0YXJ0LWF0LXRoZS1mb3Jrc9IBAA
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