08/10/2026
💙 WE’RE LISTENING ! 💚
Now that we’ve had a little time to reflect on CritterFest, we want to hear from YOU.
First, thank you to everyone who attended, supported our vendors, volunteered, shared our posts, sponsored the event, or helped us behind the scenes. CritterFest is truly a passion project for us, and the whole purpose has always been to bring something fun and different to smaller communities while raising money for animal rescues and organizations that need it.
We’ve received some really helpful feedback from both attendees and vendors, and we want everyone to know that WE ARE LISTENING!
There were things that went really well this year, and there are definitely things we want to improve.
One of the biggest concerns was, of course, the heat. When the day started, and the large fans were running, it wasn't too bad inside, and we were hopeful the venue would stay comfortable enough. But as the venue filled up, we knew that wasn't the case, and we knew it wasn’t the experience we wanted everyone to have.
Because of that, our #1 priority for next year is finding an NDOOR, AIR-CONDITIONED venue that is large enough for CritterFest.
We would really love to keep the event in August, but moving forward, we don’t want to rely on the weather cooperating. An outdoor event brings its own risks with rain, wind, heat, and vendors potentially having products damaged, so an indoor venue is definitely our preference.
We also want to continue bringing CritterFest to smaller communities rather than moving into a major city. Places like Elmira, Fergus, and surrounding townships are exactly the type of communities we want this event to serve. A lot of larger venues do not allow anything but service animals in the building, or are too small.
**ADMISSION PRICING**
We’ve heard the feedback about admission as well.
Some adults attending without children felt there wasn’t enough included in the ticket price, while families would love to see more family-friendly or child pricing options.
We’re already looking at different possibilities for next year — whether that means:
• Lower adult admission
• Reduced children/family pricing
• More activities or perks included with admission
• More things specifically geared toward adults
• Finding additional sponsorships to help subsidize admission costs
We also want to be very clear about something...
**We do not make money off CritterFest - 100% of CritterFest ticket sales go directly to the rescues we support**
There is no profit going into our pockets from this event. We put a huge amount of our own time into organizing, advertising, contacting vendors, coordinating entertainment, setting up, tearing down, and running the event because we genuinely care about what CritterFest supports.
That being said, we completely understand that attendees still need to feel they are receiving good value for their admission — even when the money is going to a great cause.
**VENDOR FEES**
We’ve also heard from vendors who would love to see lower booth fees.
Venue rental, table rentals, advertising, entertainment, insurance, supplies, and all the little expenses behind an event add up incredibly quickly.
But we are actively looking at ways to bring those costs down — including finding venues that may offer discounted rates for community or fundraising events, finding more sponsors, and working with local businesses.
If we can lower our expenses, we can hopefully lower some of those costs for vendors, too.
**ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES**
Entertainment is one of the biggest things that helps bring people through the doors, but it is also one of our largest expenses, alongside advertising.
Next year, we would love to add even more demonstrations, activities, educational experiences, and things for both kids AND adults, but obviously that can only happen with money.
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And this is where we need the community’s help!
**WE ARE LOOKING FOR CONNECTIONS!**
If you know of:
- Large, affordable indoor venues with AIR CONDITIONING
- Face painters or balloon artists
- Photographers/photo booth businesses
- Animal educators or demonstrations
- Trainers or pet professionals interested in demonstrations
- Nature, plant, or wildlife educators
- Entertainers
- Printing companies willing to sponsor or discount printing
- Advertising/media contacts
- Marketing or social media businesses
- Businesses interested in sponsorship
- Townships or community organizations interested in partnering with us
**PLEASE send us a message!**
Even one introduction or connection could make a huge difference.
And if you attended CritterFest this year, we would genuinely love to know:
👉 What did you LOVE?
👉 What would you change?
👉 What would make you more likely to attend again?
👉 What activities or entertainment would you like to see?
👉 What would make the admission price feel worthwhile to you?
👉 Vendors — what would make CritterFest better for you?
Constructive feedback is incredibly valuable to us.
We really want CritterFest to continue — but we also want to be transparent that we can’t keep putting on the event if the costs continue to rise and we can’t find a venue that better fits what the event needs. If we aren’t able to find a suitable air-conditioned venue, bring some of the major costs down, secure additional sponsorships, or find more affordable ways to provide entertainment and activities, there is a possibility that CritterFest may not be able to continue in the future.
We don’t say that to be negative — we say it because we want people to understand why community support, connections, sponsors, and feedback are so important right now. With the right venue, community support, sponsors, volunteers, and businesses willing to work with us, we really believe CritterFest can continue growing, improving, and raising even more money for rescues.
So please — comment your feedback below or send us a private message with any contacts, ideas, or suggestions. We are taking the feedback seriously and looking at ways to improve pricing, activities, and the overall experience while still keeping 100% of ticket proceeds going to rescues.
We also want to give another HUGE thank you to
Jayson at Caliber Exotic Supply and our family, and everyone else who jumped in and helped us this year. Events like this simply could not happen without people willing to lend a hand. 💙
Thank you for reading.
