February 8, 2022
River valley visitors will have more opportunity to take shelter, lace up their skates, or enjoy a winter picnic with the addition of geodesic domes near skating areas at Rundle, Victoria and William Hawrelak Parks.
The domes are part of the City’s ongoing work through the WinterCity Initiative with Geoscapes Inc. to create comfortable, inviting public spaces to encourage outdoor activity and recreation during the winter. The domes are not heated, but offer a cozy respite from the weather conditions.
The domes can be found at Rundle Park by the west entrance to the IceWay, at William Hawrelak Park next to Ice Surface 2, and at Victoria Park near the oval ice surface. Hours at each of these sites are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The domes will be lit after dark for evening use and will have tables and benches inside for seating and skate changing.
Domes are not bookable and are limited to one family or cohort at a time in accordance with current Government of Alberta health guidelines.
The Government of Alberta’s public health measures are also in place inside pavilions and washrooms. Their capacities are limited to 30 per cent of fire code. Masking and two metres physical distancing will be required at all times while inside these buildings.
Besides the new domes, other outdoor skate change areas are also available this year. Visitors to outdoor skating surfaces are asked to come ready to skate, leave personal belongings at home and bring a mask to wear indoors.
While there are no capacity restrictions on ice surfaces, the provincial public health measures still require everyone to maintain two-metre physical distancing.
