Arctic Winter Games Opening Ceremony

The 2026 Arctic Winter Games opening ceremony will be held Sunday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Shipyards Park.

To accommodate the ceremony, the Fireplace Room in the Frank Slim Building at Shipyards Park will be closed to the public from Thursday, March 5 to Monday, March 9 with the Shipyards Park parking lot closed from 6 p.m. Saturday, March 7 to the end of day Sunday, March 8. Public washrooms at the Frank Slim Building will continue to be available during the closure.

While the Fireplace Room will be used for ceremony operations, the closure of the parking lot is to facilitate athlete transportation to and from the ceremony.

In addition to the changes at Shipyards Park, there will also be some road closures downtown. The ceremony will begin with a parade from Front Street to Second Avenue before entering Shipyards Park.

Closures will include:

• No parking on Front Street from Wood Street to Black Street beginning in the evening on Saturday, March 7
• Front Street will be closed to traffic between Wood Street and Black Street from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 8
• There will be no access to Second Avenue between Alexander Street and Third Avenue on Sunday, March 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• A section of Wickstrom Road will be closed from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. to accommodate the fireworks display that will conclude the opening ceremony

All Transit stops between City Hall and Quartz Road on Second Avenue will be closed during the parade, including:

• City Hall
• Second Avenue and Black Street
• Second Avenue and Keish Street
• Second Avenue and Shipyards Park (northbound and southbound stops)
• Second Avenue and Ogilvie Street
• Yukon Courts Building

The Arctic Winter Games opening ceremony is open to the public and those wishing to view the fireworks display at Shipyards Park are encouraged to attend the entire ceremony.

The Airport Trail, Downtown Escarpment Trail and Riverfront Trail also offer great viewing options for the fireworks.

As parking will be limited, residents are encouraged to use active transportation or consider carpooling.

For more information about the Arctic Winter Games, visit awg2026.org

Contact:
Matthew Cameron
Manager, Strategic Communications
City of Whitehorse
[email protected]
(867) 689-0515