Attendance numbers down for K-Days, Taste of Edmonton in 2023

The K-Days midway in Edmonton. (CTV News Edmonton)

Two of Edmonton's biggest festivals have wrapped up for the summer and organizers of both events are blaming the weather for a dip in attendance.

K-Days and Taste of Edmonton ran from July 20 to Sunday.

Explore Edmonton says more than 557,000 people attended K-Days this year, which is down from 760,000 in 2022.

Officials say several rainy days caused numbers to drop.

It's unclear how much security incidents at the festival contributed to attendance numbers, but despite videos of incidents shared on social media, organizers say security incidents were actually down in 2023.

"It can be frustrating, as an event producer, for sure. But we also look to the happy faces that we're able to see on many families, children that participated in the event," Arlindo Gomes of Explore Edmonton said on Monday. "We felt it was a really positive experience for many people."

Taste of Edmonton also saw attendance drop this year.

About 260,000 people visited Churchill Square to experience the culinary festival.

In 2022, more than 300,000 people attended.

Despite the drop in attendance, thousands of food tickets were collected to be donated to Edmonton's Food Bank.

Planning is already underway for both festivals in 2024.