Issue link: http://tourismwpg.uberflip.com/i/994031
73 73 k. Highlighting or Developing Underused Venues or Sections of the community (How are local festivals and events used to encourage usage of or exposure to underused venues or city neighbourhoods, underdeveloped sections of the City, etc.?) Winnipeg's festivals do a tremendous job in highlighting or developing underused venues or sections of the community. In fact, part of the charm of these festivals and events for attendees is exploring areas of the city they might not normally visit and discovering the city's hidden gems. Below is a list of examples of local festivals shining a light on underused venues/ neighbourhoods: Winnipeg Folk Festival has a year-round concert series where many of the shows take place downtown and/or inner city neighbourhoods (e.g. the West End Cultural Centre, Garrick Theatre, Pyramid Cabaret, Burton Cummings Theatre). In addition, Winnipeg Folk Festival presents free programming at the Millennium Library twice a month throughout the fall and winter in order to allow more exposure to folk music to people from all walks of life. Folklorama is structured on a multi-venue format, with 20-25 pavilions functioning across Winnipeg each week, and over 400,000 visits each year. Just by existing, the festival promotes the use and exposure to the public of underused venues and city neighbourhoods such as the Ethiopian Pavilion on Selkirk Avenue; Portuguese Pavilion on Young Street, Indochina Chinese Pavilion on Cumberland and by converting community hockey arenas and curling rinks into pavilions for summer use. There is representation in almost every neighbourhood in the city of a Folklorama Pavilion and many attendees visit more than one pavilion in an evening. Pavilions are also held by communities of their own venues, which increases exposure for those spaces such as German Pavilion (German Society of Winnipeg building), Belgian Pavilion (Belgian Club), pavilion canadien-francais and Caribbean Pavilion (Centre Culturel Franco- Manitobain) etc. Winnipeg's Fringe Festival is the largest performing arts festival in Winnipeg and has been centred in the historic Exchange District since its first festival in 1988. The Fringe has been a proud promoter of its home in the Exchange. The Fringe has over 30 main and "Bring Your Own Venues" located throughout the Exchange and downtown Winnipeg. Mike Peters