Since its inception in 1919 the Festival has grown in size and scope. The first Festival had 274 entries in the 38 classes offered, with a total of 2500 participants. The 91st Annual Festival, held from March 1 to March 22, 2009, had over 3000 entries in more than 500 classes. Running for 23 days, the festival utilized 11 venues in Winnipeg and engaged 15 adjudicators from across Canada. The Winnipeg Music Festival was established by the Men's Musical Club, the first festival being held in May 1919. One of the major hurdles for these organizers was selling the idea of a competitive festival to a new market. One solution was to cooperate with existing festivals in Alberta and Saskatchewan, thereby hiring well-known and distinguished musicians, most from Great Britain, as adjudicators. This established a tradition that lasted until the mid 1960s when the festival began selecting adjudicators from North America. more... See more text