Yukon Rendezvous weekend kicks off today with a series of outdoor, virtual and staged events.
There will be fireworks on Saturday at 8:30 p.m., presented by the Midnight Sun Fireworks crew. They will be visible over Whitehorse and live-streamed to the Rendezvous Facebook page.
The Rendezvous raffle draw will be live-streamed to the Rendezvous Facebook page at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
A virtual drag show will also take place on Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20, and the 19+ show will feature the queens from Tuck Entertainment.
The Strength and Style contest has also gone online. Yukoners can vote for best beard, hairiest armpits and legs, best tattoo and strongest man on the Rendezvous website until Feb. 28.
Shipyards Park
A snow sculpture exhibit will be on display in the Shipyards Park parking lot from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28. Six teams of Yukon artists — Calvin and Hobbs, Team Balzendale, NCES Carvers, Dendritic Vestige, White Rabbit and Stardust Monkeys — have built sculptures in the park.
Public snow carving will also take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with limited registration. Participants will be paired with a snow carving mentor.
KidsFest is also taking place in Shipyards Park on Friday and Saturday and is free for Yukon kids. A kid’s log toss, mini flour packing and tobaga bowl will take place at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. both days.
Open Snowpad
The Rendezvous Open Snowpad will be located beside Lumel Studios. There will be an Axe Throw, Chainsaw Chuck and Log Toss.
Yukoners are invited to participate with their social bubbles. There will be designated entry and exit points at the snowpad, as per COVID-19 safety protocols. Guests line up to sign in and enter the viewing area on the south side of the lot, by Front Street.
The Snowpad will be open on Saturday from 12 to 3 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The winners will be announced the following week. The top scores in each competition will win a gold nugget.
High school grad classes will also compete in the three events in the annual Grad Challenge taking place from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre
A cultural craft fair will be taking place with all-local vendors in the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre longhouse. The fair will be open Feb. 26 to 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Yukon Arts Centre
The Yukon Arts Centre is hosting the main performance stage this weekend. There will be free live music and performance from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available at the box office or at yukontickets.com. Performances will also be live-streamed to the Rendezvous Facebook page.
The Arts Centre Gallery will also be open all weekend from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be the last weekend of the Song of the Whale and Waters of the Humpback exhibits.
The Friday roster includes Klondike Claire with Calvin Laveck The Mozart Effect; the Rendezvous Can-Can Line; Will Pacaud Band; a virtual performance by Gillian Campbell and the Northern Lights Junior Can-Can Line; the Snowshoe Shufflers; Soda Pony; a virtual performance by the All-City Jazz Band and Can-Can Line; and Shagadelica.
Saturday’s lineup includes Telek Rogan; the Northern Lights Junior Can-Can Line; Blue Persuasion; Gillian Campbell, the Highland Dancers and Alumni Can-Can Line; the Rendezvous Can-Can Line; Garbageman; the Fiddleheads; the Snowshoe Shufflers; Paris Pick; and Klondike Claire with Calvin Laveck.
Parade
The Rendezvous Wrap Up Parade will begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The parade will start at the corner of Main and 6th, travel to Front Street and up to the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre.
Road closures
Long Lake Road will be closed on Saturday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the fireworks show. Local residential traffic will be allowed, except when fireworks are set off at 8:30.
Traffic will be controlled on Sunday for about 20 minutes at 3 p.m. during the Wrap Up Parade.
Contact Gabriele Plonka at gabrielle.plonka@yukon-news.com