Teddy Bears Picnic going virtual for 2020 event

THE Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba will move its annual Teddy Bears Picnic to the web this year with a new ‘Gone Virtual’ theme that will feature a full day of family fun from home.

Originally, the foundation had announced it would cancel the 34th annual picnic at Assiniboine Park in respect of the province’s COVID-19 precautionary guidelines. The event typically attracts up to 40,000 attendees. Instead the event, scheduled for May 31, will be hosted at a new venue — the foundation’s Facebook page.

"We’ve been looking at options to create something again that is fun, free, family-friendly because we know a lot of families were really missing out on that picnic," said the foundation’s spokeswoman Kathryn McBurney.

The event will include physical activities, crafts and scavenger hunts and special videos from the Dr. Goodbear Clinic and ‘I Want to be a Scientist’ experts, McBurney said.

"We’re trying to keep it to the core of what Teddy Bears Picnic is for families, so that includes some entertainment, some physical activities, some crafts, and of course health education," she added.

The day of the event will feature special video posts helping families set up at-home picnic spaces and picnic lunches, instructions for taking care of stuffed animal patients and in-house science experiments from the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba.

"We know this is a beloved event so we’re really happy to be able to put on Teddy Bears Picnic Gone Virtual," said McBurney.

The picnic event also marks the last day to purchase 50/50 raffle tickets to support the foundation’s fundraising efforts. More information can be found at goodbear.ca