A spring blizzard will again blow into Winnipeg during the NHL playoffs, with 5,000 people watching home games at whiteout parties on Donald Street outside the Canada Life Centre.
“There is a whiteout coming,” said Kevin Donnelly of True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Jets and the downtown arena.
Whiteout street party tickets will go on sale for $10 starting April 17, with $5 from each ticket going to United Way Winnipeg, Donnelly said at a news conference at Canada Life Centre.
Whenever the Jets play a home game in the playoffs, frenzied fans clad in white outfits — from T-shirts and jerseys to painter’s coveralls and some outrageously creative outfits — pack the downtown arena and streets around it to cheer their team.
“Uniquely Manitoban, the Winnipeg whiteout street parties put our passionate fans, their creativity and their spirit on a national stage,” Donnelly said. “It becomes the talk of the town, and very soon, the talk of the nation.”
The licensed parties take place on Donald Street between Portage and Graham avenues during every home game, starting two hours before puck drop. The games will be broadcast live to the street on three large screens.
Game ticket holders are also invited to attend, with doors to the Canada Life Centre opening 90 minutes before puck drop. Single game playoff tickets for Round 1 of the playoffs will go on sale April 15.
The Party in the Plaza will also return, with tickets to the True North Square outdoor event costing $20, including $5 going to the United Way. Those tickets also go on sale April 17.
The provincial government is contributing $75,000 per playoff round to support the parties. Economic Development Winnipeg will contribute $50,000 from its special event tourism fund.
Premier Wab Kinew spoke about going to a Jets playoff game with one of his sons in 2018 and called watching the games one of the experiences “that tie us together.”
“We contribute more money the further the Winnipeg Jets go into the playoffs. I absolutely do not want to jinx anything, but I will say that this is one area of government finance where I don’t mind seeing us go overbudget,” he said to laughter at the news conference.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham also said the whiteout tradition builds community.
“Every school, every business throughout the city, no matter where you are, you see people wearing white, and it’s something you’ve got to experience,” said Gillingham.
“The whiteout parties are fun because it’s one of the very few times in the year, probably one of the only times in the year, when we’re hugging complete strangers and high-fiving complete strangers when the Jets score.
“It’s like, I don’t know who you are, but we’re celebrating together.”
The Winnipeg Jets punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs last week after dropping the Calgary Flames 5-2.
Kyle Pastulovic and James Barnaby were enthusiastic about the parties as they sat at a picnic table in True North Square on Thursday afternoon.
Pastulovic worked at the Winnipeg arena when the Jets first returned to Winnipeg in 2011, and is now part-owner of season tickets, attending about 15 regular-season games.
“I remember being at the first Jets game against Montreal and watching the first puck drop,” he said.
He has tickets to one playoff game so far, but will attend the whiteout parties for the other games, he said.
Barnaby has been a Jets fan since the NHL returned to Winnipeg, and plans to attend the whiteout parties when the weather is nice.
“It’s just a totally different beast than watching it at home,” he said. “Nothing matches getting with 5,000 [or] 10,000 people on the street in white.”
Donnelly said the money from the province and the city (through Economic Development Winnipeg) helps offset True North’s costs, including for policing and road closures.
“This is not a money-making venture for us. This costs us money,” he said.
Donnelly thinks the parties benefit more than partygoers.
“It becomes a branding opportunity for the city. We become known nationwide for these things, and that’s a good news story coming out of Winnipeg, and there aren’t enough of those.”
The United Way will distribute the funds it receives from the whiteout parties to organizations that help people in Winnipeg experiencing homelessness, addictions and mental health challenges, True North said in a news release.
The 2019 and 2023 street parties raised more than $212,000 for community agencies, including N’Dinawemak — Our Relatives’ Place, Main Street Project, Velma’s House, Astum Api Niikinaahk and the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre.
Whenever the Jets play a home game in the playoffs, frenzied fans clad in white outfits — from T-shirts and jerseys to painter’s coveralls and some outrageously creative outfits — will pack the downtown arena and streets around it to cheer their team.
