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December 19, 2024
Celebrate the arrival of 2025 in the heart of downtown Edmonton at the New Year's Eve Downtown Festival & Fireworks.
Date: Tuesday, December 31
Time: 6 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.
Fireworks: 8 p.m. and midnight
Location: Sir Winston Churchill Square and City Hall Plaza
Cost: Free
This year’s New Year’s Eve celebration includes an early fireworks show at 8 p.m. for families and a traditional midnight fireworks display. The fireworks, approximately 10 minutes in length, will launch into the skies over the pyramids of City Hall.
Enjoy an evening of free activities and entertainment, including live music, cultural performances, fire twirlers, skating, food trucks and more. Explore the beautiful art installations, created by the Winter City Festival Group to celebrate and promote Edmonton’s winter festivals.
Emcee Kevin Flesher will kick things off with some great beats, followed by performances by Next Stop, Otago!, Sauvage Plain, Selfish Bodies and Rule of Nines and exciting fire performances by FloWarrior.
Bring your skates and get your groove on as you take a spin around on the City Hall Plaza ice rink*. Free skate rentals and skate aids will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and the skate change room will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight. (*Weather and ice conditions permitting.) Warm up in one of three Warming Domes.
Purchase a warm meal or snacks from a variety of on-site food trucks, including Spaghetti Cone Food Truck, Big Waynes Mini Treats, Canadian Kettle Corn, Flipside BBQ, Soner Donair and Canadian Maple Shack, who will give the first 1,000 people a free maple stick!
Join Mayor Amarjeet Sohi in the countdown to the fireworks at midnight.
Please note that City Hall will close at 6 p.m. on December 31, and will not be open to the public during the New Year’s Eve event.
Watch the fireworks live on CBC
Join CBC Edmonton in Churchill Square as part of Canada Live – Countdown 2025. It’s going to be a celebration that brings together Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast, with familiar faces and a few surprise guests. Watch free on CBC Gem or wherever you stream CBC.
Arrive early for some pre-event fun!
The fun starts at the Stanley A. Milner Library with a free screening of The Princess Bride at 2:30 p.m.
Before 6 p.m., check out the beautiful holiday décor inside City Hall and experience the Hear Our Voices display.
The Hallway Café in City Hall will stay open until 6 p.m. on December 31 to serve those looking to purchase food or drinks.
Fun in the Downtown Arts District
Explore the free family fun in the Arts District. Enjoy performances by Asiah Holm, Eric Kane, Jed & the Valentine, and take part in a craft at the Art Gallery of Alberta. Boogie down at the Citadel Theatre’s Family DJ Dance Party, with winter crafts, stickers, glow sticks, and bubbles. Purchase hot drinks at GhostLight. But get there early — the first 200 people will receive a free cookie. Become immersed in the interactive rhythms of Sticks and Stones Percussion at the Winspear Centre.
The Entertainment District on Rice Howard Way
The Entertainment District on Rice Howard Way will be packed with excitement from 6 p.m. to midnight. Enjoy Indigenous activities, fire pits, live performances and more! Don’t forget to grab a drink from a participating business and take it out into the street to soak in the vibrant atmosphere.
Please note: High winds or severe weather may result in the cancellation of some outdoor activities. Visit edmonton.ca/NewYearsEve for the most up-to-date event information.
Road & Sidewalk Closures
Before, during and after the fireworks, there will be a number of road and sidewalk closures. To maximize traffic and pedestrian flow while maintaining pedestrian safety throughout the event, the following closures will be in effect until approximately 2 a.m. on January 1, 2025:
7 a.m. – Full closure of:
- 99 Street, from 102 Avenue to 103A Avenue (including the bike lane)
1 p.m. – Full closure of:
- Rice Howard Way, between 100 Street and 100A Street
5 p.m. – Full closure of:
- 99 Street, from 102 Avenue to 103A Avenue (including bike lane and sidewalks on the west and east sides from 102A to 103A Avenue)
- 100 Street, from Rice Howard Way to 103A Avenue (including the west and east sidewalks, from 100A Avenue to 103A Avenue)
- 103A Avenue, from 97 Street to 101 Street (including the north and south sidewalks from 99 Street to 100 Street)
- 102 Avenue, from 99 Street to 100 Street
Vehicle access to the Stanley A. Milner Library Parkade and The Westin will remain open. Pedestrians wishing to access the Stanley A. Milner Library Parkade during this time should use the underground pedway system, which is accessible via:
- The Churchill LRT Station staircase, located on the southwest corner of Churchill Square, and the west side of 99 Street by City Hall.
- Access from the Stanley A. Milner Library Parkade to the pedway system is available on P2 (Parking Level 2).
Parking
Please note: The City Hall Parkade is closed at 4 p.m. on December 31. NO PUBLIC PARKING OR ACCESS will be available during the event, as the area falls within the fireworks safety zone. Vehicles already inside the City Hall Parkade will have until 6 p.m. to leave.
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Parking is available in the Canada Place Parkade via the 97 Street entrance, and in the Stanley A. Milner Library Parkade for $5 per hour ($10 maximum from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.).
- Both the Canada Place and the Stanley A. Milner Library Parkades have elevators for accessibility.
New Year’s Eve @ ICE District
Celebrate the arrival of 2025 at ICE District Plaza. The evening kicks off at 6 p.m. with a pre-game tailgate party and the Oilers watch party starting at 7 p.m., as the Edmonton Oilers face off against the Utah Hockey Club. Watch the game on the giant screen and enjoy food, drinks, great tunes and epic prizes.
After the game, stick around as ICE District Plaza is transformed into a rocking New Year’s Eve party headlined by multi-platinum artist and Album of the Year winner at the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards, star Jade Eagleson, and rising Canadian country music star, Dawson Gray. The celebration will include giant countdown screens and fireworks at the stroke of midnight.
Admission to New Year’s Eve @ ICE District is free of charge but space is limited, so arrive early.
Visit the ICE District website for full details.
Downtown will be bustling on December 31. Expect major traffic delays when leaving Rogers Place, as 103A Avenue will be closed starting at 5 p.m. between 97 Street and 101 Street for the fireworks.
- To avoid major backups, drivers leaving the Rogers Place Parkade are highly encouraged to head WEST on 103A Avenue.
- Vehicles exiting the Rogers Place Parkade on 102 Street should head NORTH on 102 Street to 106 Avenue, (and not east on 105 Avenue to 101 Street), as major traffic congestion is expected along 101 Street on New Year’s Eve.
Avoid the traffic and take the bus or LRT! Edmonton Transit Service is offering free trips starting at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
Celebrate Downtown
Downtown is the heart of Edmonton. It's where diversity and creativity flourish, and arts and culture thrive. There are a number of great downtown venues to explore this New Year’s Eve. Check out the Edmonton Downtown Business Association to see what else is happening in the downtown core.
Free New Year's Eve Public Transit Service
Edmonton Transit Service is pleased to get you where you need to go, safely and conveniently. Start the New Year by taking transit to and from New Year’s Eve celebrations. Riders can board buses and LRT for free starting at 6 p.m. on December 31, until the end of service at around 3 a.m. on January 1.
Routes Routes 1A/B, 7, 120X, 131, 500X, 511, 523, 701, 900X will be on detour from 4:30 p.m. on December 31 to 2 a.m. on January 1.
Riders can plan trips using real-time tools (Google Maps), or use the Trip Planner at edmonton.ca/transit.
For regional service information, contact St. Albert Transit at 780-418-6060, Strathcona County Transit at 780-464-7433, or Leduc Transit at 780-986-7433.
Fireworks Permits and Safety
Be safe and remember, permits issued by the City of Edmonton are mandatory to use fireworks within city limits. Under the City of Edmonton’s Public Places Bylaw 14614 and Community Standards Bylaw 14600, any use of fireworks without proper permitting is illegal and subject to enforcement which can include fines of up to $10,000. Criminal charges can also be laid depending on the circumstances, resulting in a criminal record, fines and the possibility of jail time.
For more information, please visit edmonton.ca/fireworks or contact the Fire Prevention Office at EFRSSpecialEvents@edmonton.ca.
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