Burns Lake’s Big Pig mountain bike festival is quickly becoming the premier summer event for gear-heads across northern B.C. – in part thanks to Northern Development’s support. Now in its seventh year, the Big Pig takes full advantage of the extensive mountain biking trails in Burns Lake that offer fun for beginners and thrills for veteran trail thrashers alike. In 2012, Northern Development helped promote the festival with a $20,000 grant from its Marketing Initiatives program. The funding was used to pay for posters, brochures and trail maps that promoted the event. The Big Pig’s organizers also used it to buy new timing equipment, portable tents and developed high quality video footage to promote the festival. The funding also helped get bigger prizes for riders and helped book high profile talent for the Big Pig Gig, a concert held at the same time as the mountain bike festival.
The project has helped to increase tourism in Burns Lake and the Lakes District, and has boosted media attention focused on the event, creating new opportunities to promote the community and mountain biking in the area. The Big Pig is now larger enough that it results in a significant impact on the local economy, including increased hotel bookings, and campground, service, supply and restaurant use.
Guy Epkins-Shaffer, president of the Burns Lake Mountain Biking Association tells us, “Every year the Big Pig gets bigger and better, helping promote the world class trails that put Burns Lake on the map as a mountain biking destination.”
