Winnipeg | What do Colonel Sanders, soldiers of the Galactic Empire, women in a wedding dress, men in bedrooms, in common?
A piece of robot for those who replied that they are dressed in white. Two, for those who added that we can see them all in the same place.
They are part, sometimes in several copies, of some 5000 people who have agglutinate on Donald Street, in the shade of Canada Life Arena, on the evenings when the jets play a playoff matches.
Obviously, jets are not the only ones to organize this type of event. You can see similar crowds in Toronto (Maple Leaf Square) and Edmonton (the Ice District Plaza). However, Kevin Donelly, vice-president of True North, the company owner of the jets, is convinced that what is done in Winnipeg is unique.
“We see what is happening in other markets and we say that, elsewhere, it is not as cool as what we do,” he argued during an interview with the representative of the representative Journal. Here it is like a communion. We managed to transpose outside the arena, which we do inside. ”
It was in 2018 that Mr. Donelly had the idea of the outdoor white tide. Faced with the fervor of the supporters and their desire to express their enthusiasm in the streets of the city, he thought he was perhaps better to bring everyone together in the same place.
“The first time we did, he had to do -10 degrees Celsius. Nearly 4000 people presented themselves. We did not come back, ”said Mr. Donelly.
Larger ambitions
The fervor of the supporters only increased from match to match. So much so that at a certain point, during the second round, the crowd reached 13,000 people.
“Each day of match, we had to call the city representatives to ask them to release a pâté of more houses and close one more street. We had meetings with the police, firefighters, public transport, public works. They said we had to stop that. ”
But nothing helped. In the Western Association’s final, 25,000 people showed up around the jets. Consequently, the city authorities have had no choice but to get involved.
“From this moment, the city became a partner with us.”
But due to the logistical complexity of the management of such a regrouping, the city has managed to convince Mr. Donnelly and its team to limit access to 5000 people … for the moment.
“We said we were going to keep that for two rounds. If we reach the third round, we would like to increase by 2,000 additional places. If we go final, we will have even greater aspirations, ”said Donelly.
Even the police wear white
What adds to the complexity of the outdoor Whiteout is that it takes place in the street, compared to Edmonton and Toronto, where we have set up public places.
The city must block streets, deflect traffic, try to limit traffic jams. Not to mention the risks for the safety of participants.
“There is always risks. We saw it two weeks ago in Vancouver [attaque au véhicule-bélier lors d’un festival]. We cannot deny that we are preparing for the worst, but we plan for much better than that. ”
So far, everything has happened without a hitch. Not even a fight between supporters as was the case in Edmonton last week.
“The first year, there were snipers On the roofs, staff with heavy equipment, mentioned Mr. Donelly. But not this year. The police even wear white caps to be part of the experience. ”
When we say that everyone is wearing white.
When the party is transported to the outside
Nom: *Ice District Plaza
Capacity: around 5000
Entrance cost: free
Services: giant screens, food trucksmusique livederivative products kiosks
Particularity: the Oilers have set up two other sites so large near the Rexall Place: The Fan Park and the Fan Park North
Nom: Maple Leaf Square
Capacity: around 5000 people
Entrance cost: free
Services: Giant screen fixed in the Arena Banque Scotia, food concessions, derivative kiosks
Particularity: the place is renamed Jurassic Park during the matches of the Raptors, of the NBA
Nom: Whiteout Street Party
Capacity: around 5000
Entry cost: $ 10 ($ 5 is given to charity works)
Services: four giant screens, food concessions, derivative products kiosks, DJ
Particularity: just like inside Canada Life Arena, all supporters are dressed in white
* The place is nicknamed The Moss Pit (word game with Mosh Pit), in honor of Joey Moss, the former attendant at the equipment of the Oilers, who died in 2020 at the age of 57.
