Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the heart of Downtown Edmonton

News Release

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the heart of Downtown Edmonton

This New Year’s Eve will be a celebration like no other!  Join us in   
City Hall and Churchill Square as we count down to 2017 and the
official start of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.

This fun-filled, alcohol-free family event will have something for everyone!

Two Spectacular Fireworks Shows

Fireworks will take place at 8:30 p.m. for families with young children, and again at  midnight.

Date: Saturday December 31, 2016
Time: 6 p.m. – 12:15 a.m.
Location: City Hall and Sir Winston Churchill Square

6 – 10:30 p.m.: Join the fun inside City Hall for activities that the whole family can enjoy.   Magicians, balloon artists, Canadian mosaic mural, live music, artists, jugglers, acrobatics and much more! The fun continues outdoors with games, music, free skate rentals, ice skating, fire pits, bannock-making and food concessions.

8:30 p.m.: Early fireworks show

9 p.m. – 12 a.m.: Main Stage entertainment in Churchill Square featuring musical acts Uptown and  the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, leading up to a spectacular midnight fireworks finale.

12 a.m.: Midnight fireworks show

Please note: High winds or severe weather may result in the cancellation of some outdoor activities. Call 311 for the most up-to-date event information.

Road Closures

To keep everyone safe during the event and the fireworks shows, a number of parking bans and road closureswill be in effect on December 31, 2016 until approximately 1 a.m. on January 1, 2017.

9 a.m.
Closure of 104 Avenue, from 99 Street to 101 Street

1 p.m.
Closure of 99 Street, from 102 Avenue to 102A Avenue
Parking ban on 99 Street, from 101A Avenue to 103A Avenue

4 p.m.
Closure of 103A Avenue, from 97 Street to 101 Street

5 p.m.
Closure of 101 Street, from 102 Avenue to 103 Avenue

11 p.m.
Closure of:

• 102A Avenue, from 97 Street to 101 Street

• 99 Street, from 102 Avenue to 102A Avenue

• 100 Street from 101A Avenue to 104 Avenue

Sidewalk Closures

To ensure public safety, the sidewalks within the fireworks fallout zone will be closed to pedestrians from 4 p.m. on December 31, 2016 until 1 a.m. on January 1, 2017.

Sidewalk closures will include:

• North and south sidewalks on 103A Avenue and 104 Avenue, from 97 Street to 101 Street

• East and west sidewalks on 100 Street, from 103 Avenue to 104 Avenue

• East and west sidewalks on 99 Street north of the City Hall Parkade entrance, to 104 Avenue

Free New Year’s Eve Public Transit Service

Take transit to and from your New Year’s Eve celebrations. Free ETS service starts at 6 p.m. on December 31 until 3:30 a.m. on January 1, 2017.

Enjoy celebrations longer by tracking your bus anywhere, anytime using real-time tools.

DATS is free from 6 p.m. on December 31 until 2 a.m. on January 1, 2017.

For Edmonton route and schedule information visit the ETS Trip Planner.

Money collected in ETS fare boxes on New Year’s Eve will be given to the DONATE A RIDE campaign.

Note: Route 560 to Spruce Grove, Route 580 to Fort Saskatchewan, Route 599 to Edmonton Garrison, and Route 747 to the Edmonton International Airport are not part of the New Year’s Eve free service.

Special ETS Fireworks Service

New this year, extra service will be available after the first fireworks display at 8:30pm. Extra late night service from transit centres will be provided before and after the second fireworks display at midnight.

●     West Edmonton Mall and Jasper Place (along Route 1)

●     Northgate (along Route 9)

●     Mill Woods (along Route 8)

●     Westmount (along Route 5)

●     Southgate (along Route 9)

Service will begin at approximately 9 p.m..  Buses providing this extra service will travel to and from Downtown, near Churchill Square. LRT frequency will be increased before and after the fireworks.

For regional service information, please contact St. Albert Transit at 780-418-6060, Strathcona County Transitat 780-464-7433, or Leduc Transit at 780-980-7177.

Parking

Parking will be available for $1 after 5 p.m. at the Stanley A. Milner Library Parkade. Other paid parking will be available throughout the Downtown core. For more information, visit the Parking in Downtown Edmonton webpage.