is proud to be the presenting sponsor for the Meewasin Skating Rink!

Hours of Operation for Rink and Skate Change Warm Up Shelter

• Daily operation from noon until 9:00pm
• and 11:00am untill 9:00pm on Sundays

Meewasin skating rink, voted the "best outdoor skating spot in Canada" by Readers Digest in 2006, is about to get better. As Canadians we know that skating on an outdoor rink is a big part of what it means to be Canadian. With this in mind it only made sense that one of the first projects by Meewasin in the 1980's was the creation of a free outdoor skating rink on the bank of the South Saskatchewan River in downtown Saskatoon. In operation for nearly 30 years, the rink hosts over 10,000 local residents yearly and numerous visitors from all over the world. Some of the more notable visitors have included personalities such as Elvis Stojko, Tracey Wilson, Kurt Browning, Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed. Just this past week the "Great One" Wayne Gretsky and Prime Minister Stephen Harper paid the rink a visit and spent time with some local school students.

During its thirty years of operation, the Meewasin Rink has been very well used and the time had come to breathe some new life into it and the surrounding Kiwanis Memorial Park. Through the Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RInC) program, and, with financial support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the City of Saskatoon, Meewasin will do just that.

The project has three distinct elements: a permanent building housing washroom facilities that will operate year round, a mobile seasonal skating lodge, and trail enhancements to improve barrier-free access to the rink and Kiwanis Park.

As sustainability and heritage conservation are both important to Meewasin, the City of Saskatoon will be providing the project with tempered glass that was salvaged from the old 19th Street Saskatoon Arena. This glass will be used in the windows for the permanent washroom facilities.

This is a very exciting project for Meewasin, the City of Saskatoon and the thousands of Saskatoon residents who use the rink every year. The project will provide an accessible site and facility that will continue the tradition of free outdoor skating in downtown Saskatoon for many years to come.

Skating appeals to all ages making it an ideal family activity. The rink can be found at its river edge site in Kiwanis Memorial Park next to the Bessborough Hotel. It operates throughout the winter (temperature permitting). You can enjoy the cozy warm-up shelter complete with wood burning fireplace, outdoor fire pit, Christmas lights and great music. The warm up shelter is open to the public daily. Skates are available for use for the cost of a donation. Skate sharpening services are also available.