Gearing up to paint the (down)town white True North, partners announce street, plaza party plans ahead of Jets’ return to NHL playoffs next week By: Chris Kitching Posted: 12:37 PM CDT Friday, Apr. 14, 2023

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This article was published 14/04/2023 (921 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The forecast is calling for a 100 per cent chance of a whiteout at some point next week, and thousands of hockey fans and downtown businesses are ready for some fun.

The Winnipeg Jets are back in the National Hockey League’s playoffs after a disappointing end to last season when they didn’t qualify for the post-season battle to win the Stanley Cup.

Celebratory whiteout street parties return downtown for the first time since 2019 before, during and — depending on the results — after Games 3 and 4 of the Jets’ opening-round series against the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights. The best-of-seven series begins Tuesday night in Las Vegas, where Game 2 will be played Thursday, before the teams face off at Canada Life Centre for the next two contests; the NHL hasn’t released the dates and times of the Winnipeg games yet.

The parties will be located on Donald Street between Portage and Graham avenues. Capacity is capped at 5,000 and tickets are $10 apiece.

“We know the entire hockey world watches these events and marvels at the incredible atmosphere that our fans create, both inside and outside of our rink.”–Kevin Donnelly

And for the first time since construction of True North Square was completed, there will be outdoor ticketed events — called Party in the Plaza — at a cost of $20 per fan, with a capacity for 1,000 fans.

“Our goal is to make these parties the best ever,” Kevin Donnelly, senior vice-president of venues and entertainment for Jets owner True North Sports and Entertainment, said Friday. “We know the entire hockey world watches these events and marvels at the incredible atmosphere that our fans create, both inside and outside of our rink.”

These will be among the biggest public gatherings in downtown Winnipeg since pre-COVID-19 pandemic times.

Taxpayers will help foot the bill for the parties.

The province is providing $75,000 per playoff round, while the city is offering $15,000 per game in in-kind services, pending council approval, according to co-organizer Economic Development Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Police Service officers will help provide security.

A further $50,000 is coming from an EDW tourism fund.

Fans can use their game tickets to access the street parties before the arena’s doors open. Single-game tickets go on sale Saturday. Tickets for the street and plaza parties are available via Ticketmaster at 10 a.m. Monday.

Half of the street-party ticket sales will go toward agencies that help people experiencing homelessness, mental-health issues or addictions. Some of the proceeds of plaza ticket sales will be donated to the same causes via the United Way.

The 2019 street parties generated more than $160,000.

This year’s events will open two hours before puck-drop, with food and alcohol vendors, and two giant screens showing the games.

Organizers decided to limit capacity to 5,000 fans and keep the footprint to one block of Donald, while considering costs, safety and the impact on others in the area.

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If the Jets advance to later rounds, organizers could look at increasing capacity, adding family areas or holding viewing parties for away games, said Donnelly.

He described the 5,000-fan limit as a “sweet spot” that will fit within the one-block space while still creating an exciting atmosphere.

“Having a fluid number like we did before really put immense pressure on all our partners, including neighbours,” said Donnelly.

Ticket prices were hiked to $10 to help cover expenses. It can cost six figures to put on an outdoor party, he said. In 2019, up to 15,000 street-party tickets, priced at $5 each, were sold during a playoff run that ended in the first round.

“Having a fluid number like we did before really put immense pressure on all our partners, including neighbours.”–Kevin Donnelly

When the parties were first held in 2018, the footprint grew to almost six blocks and a capacity for 27,000 fans. That season, the Jets made it to the Western Conference final, where they were eliminated by Vegas.

Winnipeg is the underdog this time, as the conference’s lowest seed.

Donnelly said the plaza parties, which begin four hours before puck-drop during home games, will have an outdoor screen and food and drinks from Hargrave St. Market vendors.

In addition to wearing white, fans are encouraged to light up their homes or businesses in blue to show their support for the Jets.

Winnipeg’s farm team, the Manitoba Moose, has qualified for the American Hockey League playoffs and will also host games at Canada Life Centre.

More than a year removed from the height of the pandemic, True North and its partners are hoping the teams’ playoff runs provide a boost to downtown businesses that will be open when Jets and Moose fans are in the area.

It’s been four years since the Jets hosted a playoff game with a full building due to COVID-19 and last year’s finish.

“We know that there has been a reluctance for a lot of people to come back downtown,” said EDW president and CEO Dayna Spiring. “We know there have been questions around safety and a bunch of things. It’s time for Winnipeg to come back and see what’s happening downtown.”

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said the parties can create a sense of pride and shared purpose.

“Especially after the last several years, I think it’s something our city really needs right now,” he told a press conference also attended by Premier Heather Stefanson and Sport Minister Obby Khan.

Downtown Winnipeg BIZ CEO Kate Fenske said bars and restaurants will be offering food and drink specials to attract fans.

“We’ve needed a positive boost in our downtown,” she said. “We’re really excited to show… how we’re bouncing back.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.