The Quack Is Back
On the occasion of National Rubber Ducky Day, the Redpath Waterfront Festival (RWF), presented by Billy Bishop Airport, has announced that the World’s Largest Rubber Duck will be returning to Toronto’s Waterfront.
The festival is bringing back Mama Duck, who is six stories tall and weighs 30,000 pounds, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival, which this year is taking place from June 19 to June 21, 2020.
In 2017, the World’s Largest Rubber Duck made a splash in Toronto when it floated in to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary at the waterfront festival. Drawn to the Duck, more than 750,000 people attended the three-day celebration and the festival generated an estimated $7.6 million in economic impact for the city of Toronto.
Kevin Currie, chair of the Redpath Waterfront Festival, said: “In a decade of programming the Redpath Waterfront Festival there has been no single attraction outside of the Tall Ships that has generated more attention or generated such strong visitor numbers.”
Currie continued: “In the years since, we have received countless comments and inquiries asking when the Duck will return. With our 10th anniversary this year, it was obvious that we needed to bring the Duck back to re-capture the magic and thank our visitors for their ongoing support of the festival.”
The costs associated with bringing the Duck back this year will be paid through the Redpath Waterfront Festival’s operating budget and not through grants or government funds.
Key highlights from the 2017 Redpath Waterfront Festival as a result of Mama Duck:
- Over 750,000 attendees over the three-day event
- Total economic impact of 2017 Redpath Waterfront Festival estimated at $7.6M. Non-local attendees and event operations resulted in approximately $10.6M of new spending.
- Festival attracted visitors from many regions. 31% of attendees resided more than 40 km from the event site and the festival had record visitors from the United States.
- Local residents spent a total of $16.5M
!!! 75% of visitors said the Duck was the main reason for them attending
Go to www.towaterfrontfest.com for more.
