Edmonton 
The Silver Skate Festival is a long-standing tradition in Edmonton. During the city’s coldest month (usually), you’re invited to Hawrelak Park to celebrate this cold, all the snow, plenty of arts and culture, and tons of outdoor recreation.
Credit: Silver Skate Festival
At the centre of Silver Skate is the all-day skating available on the massive Hawrelak Pond, with park access free of cost.
There are outdoor and indoor skate-changing areas, as well as propane firepits surrounding the skating pond for many chances to stay warm. And if you work up a hunger, Culina on the Lake will be open throughout the festival for all your warm drink and snack needs!
10 Ways to Experience the Silver Skate Festival
1. Fire & Snow Sculptures
These two live artistic experiences take place across the Park’s grounds. You’ll find the Fire Sculptures in the open fields on the east side of the park, and the Snow Sculptures within the Waiword Snow Sculptures Garden. The large snow carvings start as 8’ cubes of packed snow and are carved into all sorts of creative artworks by different teams. Vote for your favourite after your walk through the Garden!
Silver Skate Festival
The Fire Sculptures start as wooden art installations, with each weekend date of the Silver Skate featuring a new piece. At 7:45pm of each night, these sculptures are lit up in flames, and act as the finale to your walk on the Folk Trail.
2. Hit up the Live Music Tent
The 2022 lineup of Silver Skate performers mixes a variety of music genres. The event’s music tent features all sorts of artists during the entire week, with shows starting as early as 3pm on some days. Dance to live pop, folk-rock, string instrumentals, RnB, country, and more.
3. Outdoor Movies via IWFF
Catch an outdoor flick on Silver Skate’s all-snow screen, with showings running all throughout the week. These films are part of the International Winter Film Festival, a totally free event that features movies centred on winter, polar, northern, or snowy themes. There will be time blocks for children’s movies, sports movies, stories of romance for Valentine’s Day, and adventure stories. This is a unique and perfect way to experience the best of Edmonton’s filmmakers.
4. Explore the Folk Trail
Any walk down the Silver Skate Folk Trail will reveal beautiful art installations and a transformed Hawrelak Park within the tall trees. But visit on February 12, 13, 19 & 20 to encounter live actors performing three different fables. The performances occur all around you as you walk the Trail and learn about the art. The Trail concludes at the Fire Sculpture installation where you can get warm and relax for a bit next to the tall bonfire.
5. Hear the Stories from Heritage Village
You can find Heritage Village beside the pond and the pavilion to take in the Night Sky ᐋᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ âcimowin storytelling, to explore large Indigenous art installation, and listen to pre recorded elder stories. There is a feature sculpture on display from artists lucycook_creations, Stuart Ballah, Mell Wolfinger and Renee Jobson.
6. Compete in the Virtual EWT
Push yourself in a snowy and icy triathlon event, with exercise and challenges suitable for all skill levels. Part one will be a run/walk around the park’s main road (about 1800m); for part two, try to hit as many as six laps skating around the pond; finally, you’re challenged to ski either their 2.5km or 5km course. Enter your times in their online log for a chance to win!
7. Pickup Hockey Games
While the actual pond is dedicated to recreational skating with hockey prohibited, they’ve built a second large rink on the east side of the park. The area was constructed with pickup games in mind; the rink has a net on either end, high snowbanks surrounding it, several picnic tables for changing, and even clear warm-up domes.
8. Skating & on-ice activities
Silver Skate Festival
Give yourself plenty of skating time around the large Hawrelak Park Pond. You can loop around, stop at scenic spots for photos, and break for snacks or a break at the fire pits. There’s a lot more on the ice to try this year, with a ball hockey “shooting range,” curling lanes and rocks, and space for winter frisbee golf.
9. Snowshoe Workshops for Kids
In part with the City of Edmonton, the Festival offers you and your young ones a chance to learn all about the practice of snowshoeing our river valley specifically, and survival skills like shelter- and fire-building. Programs run from 1pm-5pm on February 12, 13, 19, 20, and 21.
10. Even more Free Outdoor Fun
There is even more you can enjoy at Hawrelak Park for free if you have your own equipment. There is a ton of field space and river valley path space for snowshoeing, even more space for fat bikes, and there are groomed cross country ski trails all throughout the park. Even if these activities are out of reach, Hawrelak borders the main river path that can be suitable for winter hikes, depending on the weather and ice.
2022 Silver Skate Festival – Trip Planning
When: February 11 to 21, 2022 – Schedule
Hawrelak Park Hours
5 am–11 pm
Shelter 2: 9 am–9 pm
Pavilion: 9 am–10 pm (during skating season)
How much: free
Where: Hawrelak Park, 9330 Groat Rd., Edmonton
Silver Skate Festival
The Silver Skate Festival in partnership with ETS is offering a Free Park n’ Ride service on weekends looping through University Transit Centre (ETS Bus Stop #2636), 114 St westbound at 87 Ave (Butterdome), U of A Windsor Parkade on 116 St northbound at 93 Ave, Hawrelak Park DATS loop, 117 St eastbound at 87 Ave (Lister Hall) stops.
Parking is available at the Windsor Parkade for $5.50/day.
