Knud Petersen named Whoop-Up Days Parade Marshal

Long-time philanthropist and community supporter is first marshal selected through community nomination process

Lethbridge, Alta. – A community booster with deep ties to the southern Alberta community will lead the Whoop-Up Days Parade, as Knud Petersen has been named the 2026 Parade Marshal. Petersen, whose community ties run deep through Lethbridge Polytechnic, the University of Lethbridge and countless other organizations, is the first marshal selected through Excite Lethbridge’s new parade marshal community nomination program. Petersen will lead the kick-off to Whoop-Up Days through the Lethbridge streets on Aug. 18.

Petersen is a Danish immigrant who arrived in Canada on an agricultural exchange in 1965 and eventually settled in southern Alberta four years later, luckily finding a job with the Perry’s in Chin. During and following a career in potato farming, Petersen has set an unmatched example as a hands-on community booster. Among his numerous community initiatives, Petersen has been involved as a founding member of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorn Booster Club, as well as the Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks Association and the Kodiaks women’s soccer program. He helped Alvin Tietz coach the women’s team to a national championship in its 1994 inaugural season, is a past treasurer and long-time board member of the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame, has been heavily involved in the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs, the Lethbridge Food Bank and many other organizations. Through his tireless efforts, he has helped with hundreds of thousands of dollars in fundraising efforts for numerous organizations in the Lethbridge area.

“Knud Petersen is the ideal of a perfect community booster,” says Paul Kingsmith, Director, Event Development, Excite Lethbridge. “He is hands-on in his efforts to make Lethbridge a better place, never willing to ask of others what he won’t do himself. He is a constant presence at community events who never asks for credit for his efforts, despite deserving endless amounts of it. We are thrilled to have Knud lead this year’s Whoop-Up Days Parade.”

Petersen has received a wide selection of honours and recognition in the community, including earning honorary degrees from both Lethbridge Polytechnic and the University of Lethbridge, being inducted into both the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame and the Pronghorns Hall of Fame, earning the 2019 Stars of Alberta Volunteer Award, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022, the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers in 2023, the U of L’s Senate Volunteer Award in 2006, the SASG Max Gibb award in 1997 and has had the Knud Petersen Spirit in Sport Award named after him by the Lethbridge Sport Council.

“I was incredibly honoured and excited when Paul Kingsmith informed me of being named Whoop-Up Days Parade Marshal for 2026,” says Petersen. “After letting that news sink in for a while, I recognized the responsibility of following in the footsteps of the many past individuals I greatly respect and admire who served as parade marshals, including trailblazing Pearl Violet Borgal, who incidentally will be part of the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame 2026 class of inductees. I'm very much looking forward to celebrating the 2026 Whoop-Up Days with our traditional keepers of the land, the Blackfoot Confederacy, and indeed, our whole community.”

This year, Excite Lethbridge asked for community nominations for the Whoop-Up Days Parade Marshal. Petersen was one of more than a dozen high-quality nominations received from across the community. He was selected by a committee made up of former Whoop-Up Days Parade Marshals and Excite Lethbridge staff.

This year’s parade theme is “Midway Magic,” celebrating the timeless charm of the classic Whoop-Up Days Midway – bright, engaging, fun, and inviting. For decades, the midway has been a pillar of Whoop-Up Days, adding play, wonder, excitement and entertainment to southern Alberta. More than rides and games, the midway represents connection, excitement, and the spirit of community that defines Whoop-Up Days.

Petersen joins an esteemed list of recent Whoop-Up Days Parade Marshals including the Morris Family in 2025, Duane Kesler in 2024, Corb Lund in 2023 and the Chiefs of the Blackfoot Confederacy in 2022.

The Whoop-Up Days Parade presented by Park Place Shopping Centre begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Parade applications will open on May 6. To learn more or submit an application, visit whoopupdays.ca.

For more information, contact:

Paul Kingsmith

Director, Event Development
C. 403.915.1115
P. 403.328.4491 ext 202
E. [email protected]
A. 101 Exhibition Way S.
Lethbridge, AB, T1J 4R3

excitelethbridge.ca