Whiteout street party organizers consider expansion as Jets playoff run continues

Organizers of the street parties outside Bell MTS Place plan to expand the event even further as the Winnipeg Jets continue their playoff run.

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​The Jets have a long way to go before True North has to plan for a Cup final street party. Winnipeg punched its ticket to the second round Friday with a 5-0 win over the Wild to take the series 4-1. 

Downtown whiteout

7 years ago

Duration 1:54

What does it cost to throw a Jets playoff party?

But if the Jets do survive well into the post-season, a street party that started as a single block — before doubling in size for Game 2 and expanding to four blocks for Friday's Game 5 — will require more space and more resources.

"Now that springtime's here in Manitoba, we know people are going to want to come out here and enjoy it," said Dayna Spiring, executive director of Economic Development Winnipeg, the arm's-length city agency that's helping co-ordinate the street parties.

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Event organizer Jason Smith said more programming has been required for each successive street party. The number of stages, concessions and TV screens has increased along with the size of the event.

The main TV screen at Donald Street near Portage Avenue rolls up on a truck. The rig is rented from Portage la Prairie, Man., and can be set up in a matter of hours, Smith said.

"Normally we have a couple of days to set up something of this magnitude. We've squished our setup time into three or four hours a day, so we don't disrupt the city too much," Smith said in an interview on Donald Street on Friday.

"So the speed in which we're putting it together is probably the most challenging part for us."

Other components, including large TV screens, have been trucked in from locations as far away as Thunder Bay, Ont., and Calgary, Donnelly said.

"There's not a lot of this equipment in Winnipeg, so we're having to source from out-of-town suppliers," he said.

Costs still unclear

True North and Economic Development Winnipeg have assumed some of the production costs for the event, while the City of Winnipeg has so far covered policing, public works and transit costs.

The precise cost of the events has yet to be tallied, though the first party during Game 1 on April 11 cost less than $50,000, Spiring said.

Her agency, True North and the city have yet to determine who will pay for what, she added.

"After Round 1, we'll all sit in a room and figure out where we're at and who's paying for what," Spiring said.

Jasmine Stoddart, who attended the Game 1 street party and planned to attend the Game 5 event as well, said the expenditure is worth it.

"Not too many people have things to be grateful for," she said on Portage Avenue on Friday. "Actually, this is the first time I can remember the Jets being in the playoffs."

Downtown business owners are also pleased with the crowds on game days.

"Honestly, I would say it's double, if not triple, the amount of business we normally would have," said Joshua Mesojednik, who owns the Tipsy Cow, a Portage Avenue burger bar one block from Bell MTS Place.

Spiring also sees the expenditures on street parties as a marketing opportunity for Winnipeg.

"When NBC is showing shots of Winnipeg all across North America, we feel so proud. We look so good on television," she said.

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