Winnipeg gets ready for a whiteout: Here's what you need to know
Fans planning to party on Donald Street as Jets take on Wild this week
This week's forecast calls for whiteout conditions.
Winnipeg Jets fans are getting ready to cheer on the team as they enter the first NHL playoff round against the Minnesota Wild at Bell MTS Place Wednesday.
True North Sports and Entertainment announced last week that Donald Street would be closed for the Whiteout Street Party, which will include large screens to broadcast the game, food trucks and more for every home playoff game. The party starts at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and 5 p.m. on Friday.
If you're planning to join the blizzard of people on the street or if you live or work downtown, here's what you need to know:
- Southbound Donald Street between Portage Avenue and Graham Avenue will close at noon when party setup begins. It will reopen overnight at about 1 a.m.
- Motorists are going to face delays. The city suggests drivers use alternate routes, such as Main Street or Osborne Street.
- The Donald Street entrance to the Millennium Library parkade will not be accessible while the street is closed. You can use the Donald Street exit. To get into the parkade, use the Smith Street entrance.
- Buses in the area will be rerouted starting from 6-11 p.m. Bus stops on Graham Avenue will be relocated nearby.
- The Handi-Transit loading zone on southbound Donald Street at Graham Avenue will be temporarily relocated to eastbound Portage Avenue next to the Radisson hotel.
Parking will be at a premium, so carpooling, transit, bike, taxi or ride hailing service will be better options for those travelling downtown on Wednesday and Friday.
Police say additional officers will be deployed on game days and people will see more officers before and after the games.
Liquor will be served within the closed-off area, and there will be no specific liquor-free zone, said Matt Schaubroeck, spokesperson for Economic Development Winnipeg, which is hosting the event.
To make sure things don't get too rowdy, extra security, cadets and patrol members from the Downtown BIZ will be on duty, he added.
"Anyone who feels unsafe will have an opportunity to get help," said Schaubroeck.
Police remind Winnipeggers that walking with open liquor on the streets outside that area is a no-no.
The event is free, so it's expected to draw a large crowd. Plan a meeting place if someone gets lost or separated, organizers said.
Each party to cost at least $20K
Entertainment for the event is still being finalized, but a DJ and MC have been hired, said Schaubroeck. Those details will be announced on wpgwhiteoutstreetparty.ca.
"We anticipate [this] to be like any other large celebration that we do," said police spokesperson Tammy Skrabek. "Winnipeg fans have always been great hockey fans and they certainly deserve an opportunity to celebrate and we're not, by any means, going to take that away from them."
Winnipeg police expect the crowd to be smaller for Wednesday than Friday, she said, adding should the crowd migrate over to Portage and Main, officers will be ready to monitor it.
Economic Development Winnipeg expects the street party to cost at least $20,000 a day. That tab covers staffing, security, washrooms and fencing, EDW president Dayna Spiring said in a statement.
True North Sports & Entertainment is paying for the production costs, while Economic Development Winnipeg and the City of Winnipeg are managing other costs, she said.
"We have a plan in place to recoup those costs, both through on-site sales and corporate sponsorships," Spiring said in a statement.
With files from Bartley Kives