The Premier of Ontario has declared a province-wide state of emergency and issued a stay-at-home order in response to rising COVID-19 variant infection rates.
Fri, 19 Mar 2021
The Town of Oakville was recognized by Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) with an Achievement Award for the Oakville Professional Firefighters Association (PFFA) Toy Drive and Oakville’s Fireside Chat with Santa Claus and Mayor Rob Burton. This year’s FEO awards were based on the theme of “adapt, pivot, evolve” as events were brand new and innovative, cancelled or modified due to the pandemic.
“This past year, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a lot of change to our community and has affected the way we celebrated events and holidays,” said Mayor Rob Burton. “Because of the hard work of town staff and community partners, we were able to pivot and celebrate the season in a safe and responsible manner. Congratulations to the teams for this well-deserved recognition. Staying connected through these events was so important for our community, and brought joy and comfort during a difficult time.”
With the cancellation of the town’s annual Santa Claus Parade, the teams involved identified a need to assure Oakville's residents that Santa Claus was still coming to town, and to allow for an opportunity for Oakville's residents to continue to give back with the annual Oakville PFFA Toy Drive that normally kicks off at the Santa Claus Parade. The virtual Fireside Chat saw the highest engagement with Oakville's children participating in the colouring contest and asking their questions to Santa Claus himself, and the Oakville PFFA toy drive saw enormous success with a drive-through event in connection to the festive light installation at Coronation Park.
To learn more about the town’s efforts to support the community in response to COVID-19, visit the COVID-19 Information page or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) has been representing the festivals and events industry in Ontario for 30 years, making sure communities continue to produce unique, quality festivals in all corners of the province. Providing education, professional development and networking while fostering a community of passionate people invested in the festival and event industry, FEO works hard to deliver membership benefits that help support the growth of the industry.