For only the second time in its history, the Big Ex has been cancelled.
On their website, the board of directors for the Big Ex announced they would be cancelling the 2020 South Shore Exhibition due to COVID-19 restrictions and health concerns.
In a release, Big Ex president Tommy Mailman said the event sees over 40,000 attendees each year, making proper social distancing impossible.
“In the S.S. Ex’s 129 year history, only once has our exhibition been cancelled, in 1939, due to World War II,” he said.
“For generations of families, the Big Ex has and will continue to be an exciting annual part of every summer.”
This also came alongside an announcement by the Exhibition Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) on the cancellation of all physical exhibitions and fairs for the 2020 season.
They also said any events taking place on exhibition grounds must follow guidelines set by the province’s medical officer of health.
In the release, agriculture minister Keith Cowell says while exhibitions are an important part of the province’s agriculture sector, he stands by the decision in the wake of COVID-19 to help limit its spread.
As for the Big Ex, while all events during the exhibition have been cancelled, Mailman says they intend to bring it back in 2021.
