New locations for 2024: Laurier Park; we’ve dropped a pin in Google Maps for the main site. The triathlon is not at Laurier Park, it’s at Victoria Park. Due to snow conditions, Birkie Saturday Ski events have been cancelled and the Barnebirkie Family Ski has been moved to Gold Bar Park.
When Erin DiLoreto started with Silver Skate in 2007, the then-16-year-old festival was a Family Day-weekend event. But her team beefed up the infrastructure and expanded the events, turning it into a 10-day winter wonderland for families to explore. “We made the decision to move to a 10-day event because Edmontonians at that time needed some excuse to get outside and celebrate our winter prairie life,” she says.
Traditionally held in Hawerlak Park, Silver Skate has moved to Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park for the time being. But DiLoreto says the specific spot doesn’t matter as long as it’s somewhere in North America’s largest urban park. “We’re excited that we get to stay in the river valley because that’s our home, and one of the magical things about Edmonton is our pockets of neighbourhoods and all the different events going on. So we’re delighted to showcase and celebrate another beautiful area.”
You should come for a skate, but every year snow-sculpting teams from around the globe pack up their saws, chisels and pickle forks to compete in Silver Skate’s International Sculpture Symposium (DiLoreto says international teams actually out-apply local teams by 15 to one). “And then we also have a fire sculpture in the evenings, which is our little homage to Burning Man where local teams create pieces of art out of combustible materials — and then we light them up!”
Every year, Silver Skate hires playwrights to create allegorical stories and tales, usually with social justice or environmental messages (you can hear past stories on Silver Skate’s website). Actors then perform them along the Folk Trail lined with locally made art installations that bring the stories to life.
The trail starts with a lantern-making tent where people create their own lanterns to light the way on their storytelling journeys, “where they’ll look at the different installations that speak to the different stories and meet the characters on a pitch where they will share the story with people on the Folk Trail.”
History comes alive in Heritage Village, the medicine wheel-shaped site where keepers of knowledge share said knowledge rooted in the traditions of the Plains Cree of Treaty 6. As you wander around the circle you’ll see each part connects to the traditional teachings of each direction. Knowledge keepers — both elders and youths — will share stories, music, cultural artifacts and ancient teachings as well.
“We’ve worked really hard on our environmental, societal and governance (ESG) work to share Indigenous heritage and those Indigenous pieces, while empowering our youth to keep on carrying those messages forward,” says DiLoreto.
There’s also a triathlon. What could easily be its own event is actually just one of the major activities across Silver Skate’s 10 days. You can run, skate and ski — solo or as a team — across three different tracks (at 6.5 km, the Super Sprint track is perfect for families and kids) and receive food and refreshments once you cross the finish line.
“It’s all about getting outside and challenging yourself. And we’re all about creating experiences for each individual, whether they want to just enjoy the sights and sounds or get active and involved themselves.”
Kids can sculpt their own snow blocks and slip down the snow slide in the Family Fun Zone, get winter sporty in the Recreation Zone, learn (through game play) snowshoe and winter shelter-building skills in Outdoor Adventure Zone, ride ice bikes, skate (obviously) and take in a full slate of winter cinema — with hot chocolate stations and warming fires to make sure you don’t get too cool.
For over 30 years, Silver Skate Festival has provided Edmontonians with a great way to embrace winter — but it needs your help to ensure it lasts another 30 more. “We blend arts, culture, recreation and sport, and we’re free at the door! We’ll have a 50/50, but donations are accepted anytime to make we can do it even better next year,” says DiLoreto.
Bring your skates, curiosity and some spare cash to this year’s Silver Skate Festival.
