2019 Red River Ex June 14 to June 23

The Red River Ex has been a tradition since 1952 for Manitoba and since 1997 has called the spot by Assiniboia Downs their home. The 90 acres of Red River Exhibition Park features a midway, concert stages and an exhibition hall and agricultural grounds. The non-profit has music groups from classic rock to country to pop to symphony.

Crash Test Dummies, Doc Walker, Bif Naked and Trooper are some of the headliners this year. The Dummies performed way back in 1992 and the old arena/stadium site and brought the house down. The Royal Canadian Air Force Band will opening on the first Friday night.

Other stages will be geared to kids and families and will feature some music, magic and other entertainment. There will be opportunities for those who attend to be part of the talent or just be able to dance and enjoy.

The midway is what lots of kids gravitate too. If it spins, drops or speeds, it is attractive to kids and families. I hit too many in a recent year and combined with a hot sunny day I was left a little spun out. Fair warning for parents with barfy kids or feel barfy themselves. I'm usually fairly hardy but park overload is a thing.

Sometimes it is good to just find the animals and stop spinning. Find the ag grounds and enjoy the events and farm animals encounters. Or go to exhibition hall and browse vendors and crafts. Dog agility shows and exotic creature shows are also featured.

And don't forget about food. Red River Ex has everything from mini-donuts to funnel cakes to hotdogs to Asian dishes. A time interval might be required to stop the world from spinning first.