SAVE THE DATE - IT'S ALMOST TIME TO SKATE THE EIGHT! THE BENTWAY ANNOUNCES FULL CALENDAR OF WINTER ACTIVITIES
The Bentway Skate Trail officially opens December 20, kicking off the Winter 2019/20 season that will see a number of activities, including free skate lessons and a day to skate in your skivvies
December 6, 2019 - [Toronto, ON] - The Bentway, the innovative public space project underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, today announced its full lineup of Winter 2019/20 programming. From December 20, 2019 to February 17, 2020, The Bentway will brighten up grey winter days by gathering families and friends together around the site’s beloved 220-metre figure-eight skate trail, inviting Torontonians and visitors alike to get cozy among the concrete.
Centred around the skate trail (open seven days a week from 12 - 9 p.m. from December 20 to January 5, then from 5 - 9 p.m. on weekdays and 12 - 9 p.m. on weekends from January 6 to February 17), The Bentway’s calendar for the Winter 2019/20 season will include a number of events and activations, including:
- Scotiabank Next Generation Celebration: In celebration of the Maple Leafs Next Generation Game presented by Scotiabank on December 23, Scotiabank has partnered with The Bentway to get hockey fans – young and old, alike – excited for their annual event, complete with ticket giveaways and more [December 21, 2019]
- Free Skate Thursdays: Free skate rentals courtesy of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport will be offered every Thursday, 5 – 9 p.m., all season long [Beginning December 26, 2019]
- The Polar Bear Skate: The Bentway’s popular Polar Bear Skate will return for its second year from 1 - 5 p.m. on December 29, daring city-dwellers to skate the trail in their bathing suits or skivvies! And don’t forget to register – the first 100 registrants get a free hot chocolate to keep toasty. Plus, what you don’t wear to skate, donate! Project Comfort will provide donation bins on-site to collect gently used or new winter wear for the most vulnerable in our community. [Registration begins December 6; Polar Bear Skate takes place December 29, 2019]
- Free Skate Lessons: Expert instructors will provide free drop-in skate lessons (lessons are first come, first serve) every Tuesday evening from 7 - 9 p.m. for adults and kids 12 years of age and up, and Saturday afternoons from 12 - 2 p.m. for kids aged 6 - 12 [Beginning January 7, 2020]
- PA Day & Family Day Extended Hours: The Bentway will offer extended hours on the Toronto District School Board’s January PA day and on Family Day 2020. On both days, the skate trail will be open from 12 - 9 p.m. [January 17, 2020 and February 17, 2020]
The Bentway will also have a number of exciting on-site activations running during the winter season, including:
- Corona Après Patio: Skate, then sip! Sink your heels into the snow between laps and hit the skate-side Corona Après Patio for cold beer, mulled wine and ciders, hot chocolate or coffee from 12 - 9 p.m. during the holidays, and then, beginning January 6, from 5 - 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and 12 - 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. [December 20, 2019 – February 17, 2020]
- The Quaker® Lounge: In partnership with Quaker®, a proud sponsor of the winter season, visitors will have access to the Quaker® Lounge - open daily from 12 - 9 p.m. from December 20 to January 5 - offering delicious oat-based snacks, and a warm and cozy space to relax when not on the trail [December 20, 2019- January 5, 2020]
- Vaseline® Winter Shoot Out - Vaseline will kick off their Winter Shoot Out – a mix of curling and hockey that visitors are invited to play for free – at The Bentway’s second annual Polar Bear Skate and remain on-site until New Year’s Day [December 29, 2019 – January 1, 2020]
“Our mandate has always been to repurpose the urban outdoors,” says Ilana Altman, Co-Executive Director at The Bentway. “We’re proud to offer an array of activities at The Bentway, centred around our skate trail, to encourage people to discover and re-imagine our space this winter. The Gardiner Expressway is more than just a highway to us, it provides a hangout for the young and old alike.”
For more details on the Winter 2019/20 skate season, visit www.thebentway.ca.
The Bentway is supported by the City of Toronto, Maxine Granovsky Gluskin & Ira Gluskin, Richard M. Ivey, Frances & Tim Price, Rosamond Ivey, Mazyar Mortazavi & Bita Doagoo, Howard Sokolowski & Linda Frum, Donald K. Johnson O.C. & Anna McCowan-Johnson, DiamondCorp, and a growing family of supporters.
The Bentway Winter 2019/20 Season is supported by Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Corona, Quaker®, and Vaseline®.
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