Over 22k trick-or-treaters served in Prince George’s first ever Candy Cruise

Under the light of a blue moon and in the midst of a pandemic, Prince George’s first-ever Candy Cruise made for a happy Halloween.

Over 22,500 were served in the inaugural Candy Cruise event which was designed to provide the residents of Prince George with a completely unique, over the top, and outrageous Halloween experience that is safe and ‘pandemic-friendly’ in a year that has been anything but normal or easy for families.

“We had over 65 Partner Organizations, well over $50,000 dollars’ worth of candy and treats, and we served over 22,500 people from our community at our 10 Hub Locations - We couldn’t have asked for a better result from our inaugural event!” says Dave Horton, Candy Cruise Creator and Event Manager in a news release.

The event featured a drive-thru style format with 10 different hub locations spread throughout the community with over 45 vendors distributing candy and treats to families. The event was planned in consultation with Northern Health, Provincial Government Officials, the RCMP, the City, and other governing bodies.

“It takes a community of people to pull something like this off. Huge numbers of volunteers, overwhelming numbers of patrons, but most of all it is the positive impact left on the community that excites me the most,” says Horton.

“Parents and families have been through so much lately, and to provide a bit of reprieve for families to get out and have fun together is something that this community is going to remember for years.”

 Organizers say that the community participation was much greater than initially expected. The volunteer site commanders at each hub location, along with the additional volunteers, stepped up and accommodated a greater influx of participants than was expected.

 “Events like Candy Cruise require a wide range of individuals with unique skillsets to pull it off. We had a phenomenal team step up, from our site commanders, right down to our Partner Organizations and Vendors who came together to run through thousands of cars through our sites in under four and a half hours,” says logistics Consultant, Chris Van Luven.

“It is a remarkable feat and is a model that hasn’t been tested anywhere in western Canada to the best of my knowledge. I am very proud of our team for their dedication and hard work and am thankful for the folks who volunteered their time to bring such a great experience to Prince George.”

 “It is really great to see how the Prince George community came out to support this new and unique event. Dave [Horton] came up with the concept for Candy Cruise, and totally put his heart and soul into bringing our city some fun and excitement in a time where we have been challenged to come up with engaging entertainment that is also safe,” says Kyle Sampson, event consultant.

“It is important to note how events can be planned with such meticulous detail and organization, but you never know what to truly expect until you get rolling with the event – and that is especially true with free events where your anticipated patron numbers are unpredictable. I think what we experienced with Candy Cruise was the community has a lot of pent up excitement to get out and enjoy themselves right now, and they saw the opportunity to do so with Candy Cruise because of the great lengths Dave and his team went to, to ensure it was well-planned fun, and safe.”

Over 65 Community Organizations came together to help pull off the event and the Candy Cruise raised over $5500.00 in donations which will help cover the operating costs of the event. Any remaining funds will be passed evenly onto 3 local charities; Big Brothers Big Sisters Northern BC, Ness Lake Bible Camp, Child Development Centre.

 “All in all, Candy Cruise was a complete success… and for that I am relieved. We came, we served, we worked really hard, and we made it through,” says Horton.  “The event served its purpose which was to provide a totally outrageous event for families who deserve it – we all deserved this safe community-oriented alternative this year, and Prince George showed up. Thank you.”

 Donations can still be made online until Friday, Nov. 6, at www.CandyCruise.ca/Donation.