The Silver Skate Festival, Edmonton’s longest running winter festival, has been creating winter experiences in Edmonton’s Hawrelak Park for over 30 years!

Edmonton’s Silver Skate Festival, returns to celebrate winter sport, recreation, arts and culture in William Hawrelak Park February 11 – 21, 2022.

“After curating self-directed Winter Experiences in 2021, I am beyond delighted to announce the return of live musical performances and a full slate of traditional Silver Skate Festival programming in 2022” says executive producer Erin DiLoreto.

Come and behold Hawrelak Park transformed into a mosaic of winter fun for the entire family! Glide effortlessly along the largest skating pond in the city to the tune of a curated playlist of local musicians, marvel at the artistic talent on display in the Waiward Snow Sculpture Symposium and Garden, take on the elements in the Mammoet Sporting Challenges, be delighted by nomadic performers and enjoy the return of the Fire Sculptures and Burn on the Imperial Oil Folk Trail, and have some tasty treats from local food trucks onsite.

Winter is magic, and the outdoor experiences in our city are limitless. Remember to dress for success, and see you at Hawrelak Park this February.

Recreation Zone

Small wonder so many winter Olympians are Canadian. In our northern climate, we have long (beautiful), cold (thrilling) winters which provide the opportunity to play virtually every winter sport imaginable! Come enjoy an old favourite, or give a new sport a try. Ball Hockey, Jam Can Curling, Winter frisbee golf, anyone? FORE eezing!!

Sporting Challenges

Virtual EWT

Barnebirkie Family Ski Event

The Barnebirkie family ski event during Silver Skate Festival at Hawrelak Park is on Sunday, February 13, 2022. We invite kids and their parents to cross country ski 500 m, 1.5 km or 3 km. This winter fun activity is where Birkie dreams begin! Register now: https://canadianbirkie.com/birkie-sunday/

Folk Trail

For years, our nomadic performers have delighted audiences by acting out a story on several nights during the festival. We are very excited to continue that tradition in 2022!

Actors will be animating the trail with three new fables for four evenings of the festival, February 12, 13, 19 & 20. Be sure to stick around to witness the spectacle if the Fire Sculpture Burn (also a great opportunity to warm up).

Fire Scultures

Since 2009, Silver Skate Festival has hosted a fire sculpture installation. This spellbinding spectacle of light serves as a finale to the Silver Skate Folk Trail.

Throughout each day of each weekend, a team of fire artists will be building a sculpture that will be burned at 7:45pm on each of those days. Each day features a different team of artists. The fire represents renewal and the release of thoughts that make us sad or any fear or regret that chases love from our hearts.

Each evening ends with some live entertainment and everyone lives happily ever after.

Snow Sculptures

Snow sculpture is a perennial favourite at the Silver Skate Festival! Each year, teams of 2-3 artists demonstrate how to transform 8-ft high x 8-ft wide x 8-ft deep blocks of snow into magical creations. When they are finished, eight artworks create an ephemeral sculpture garden for the public to enjoy for the duration of the festival. 

The Waiward Snow Sculptures Garden will be up in Hawrelak Park from February 11th until Mother Nature says it’s spring. We’d love for you to come take a peek at your leisure. 

ᐋᓂᐢᑰᒧᐦᒋᑫᐃᐧᐣ
âniskômohcikewin
The act of connecting

ᐋᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ
âcimowin
Storytelling

Indigenous families lived and survived the seasonal cold in various ways. Winter shelters were lived in seasonally and used as a place of meeting and to warm by the fire and visit. Cold days and nights became the best times to tell stories to one other and share experiences of adventures about hunting, trapping, fishing, snowshoeing, and wood gathering.

The stories were not just meant for entertainment, but to bestow a collective knowledge of life and learning to the young, as well as pass on the importance of ceremony and blessings. Through funding from the EPCOR Heart + Soul Fund, Silver Skate was able to hire a sound engineer and record stories from three elders which will be shared on location in Hawrelak Park between February 12-21. The stories will also be available via download so we can all sit outside, star gaze, and listen to these incredible stories.

International Festival of Winter Cinema

CELEBRATE WINTER – WIN PRIZES

(including a VIA Rail Canada trip for two valued at $1,500!)

Use this Winter Activity Passport to guide your winter experiences from Feb 1-21. Follow and tag @SilverSkateFest and #SilverSkate in your posts on social media to be entered for a chance to win Celebrate Edmonton local surprise goodie bags, Toti art prints, and Silver Skate toques. You can also submit your progress on our website: https://silverskate.ca/winter-experience/

If you specifically share posts of how you’re enjoying Silver Skate Festival on site at Hawrelak Park from Feb 11-21, you’ll qualify for a chance to win a VIA Rail Canada adventure for 2 to keep your winter fun going (valued at $1,500)!

Please note: all social media posts must be public, you must be following Silver Skate Festival (@silverskatefest on Instagram or Twitter), and posts must include the hashtag #SilverSkate to qualify for prizes. You will need to also be following VIA Rail Canada to qualify for the VIA Rail prize.

We’ll randomly select winners and contact them via the platform they entered. Good luck and have fun! We look forward to seeing how you Create Winter Experiences this February.

Miniature Art Scavenger Hunt