Empire Days is officially a thing of the past in Nanaimo.
The Empire Days Celebration Society has voted to scrap the event for good, after refusing City Council’s request to change their name, and voting against the idea of working with the City to develop a new event.
Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay says he’s now putting out the call to anyone interested in helping to organize a new celebration for the May long weekend.
McKay says he’s curious what could happen if some commercial sponsors came to the table.
He says the estimated cost of running the event is about $32,000, including about $15,000 for the fireworks display.
He’ll be asking City Council next week whether the $5,200 earmarked for the Empire Days Celebration Society could be redirected to support the creation of a new event.
