Experience Whitehorse at these colourful festivals and events

Along with being loved by locals, many Whitehorse events draw people from all across North America. In the summer, the midnight sun combined with memorable festivities is too good to pass up.

Summer events with maximum midnight sun exposure include the Yukon River Trail Marathon, the Yukon River Quest and a slow-pitch tournament that Alaskan teams always show up for. And speaking of our neighbours, the Klondike Trail of ‘98 International Road Relay is a one-of-a-kind run from sea level at Skagway, Alaska—through the night and over the mountains—to Whitehorse.

For summer fun that isn’t sports related, but can still get your heart pumping, catch the Paradise Electronic Music Festival. Soak up more music under the midnight sun during the Canada Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations. From its meaningful location on the shores of the Yukon River, the multi-day Adäka Cultural Festival features First Nations storytelling, singing, artwork, dancing and drumming.

Add in motorbike events, golf tournaments and more live outdoor performances, and Whitehorse summers are jam-packed with things to do. As the cool weather arrives, the festival calendar heats up with dog sled races, music and film festivals, curling bonspiels and hockey tournaments.

One of winter’s most noteworthy events is the world-renowned Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race—1,000 miles between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska. The grueling, human-powered Yukon Arctic Ultra follows the Quest trail from Whitehorse to Dawson City, and is known as the coldest and toughest ultra race in the world.

Nowhere near as grueling, but every bit as impressive is the popular, multi-day party—the Yukon Rendezvous Festival. With the slogan “the only legal cure for cabin fever blues”, Rendezvous has dozens of highlights ranging from the elegant Rendezvous Queen affairs to the not-at-all-elegant Sourdough Sam contest that playfully seeks to knight “Yukon’s primo male” through a series of outrageous competitions. Many other signature Rendezvous events, such as chainsaw chucking, dog howling and flour packing competitions conjure up the Yukon’s colourful heritage.

To most locals, the unofficial sign that winter’s over is the arrival of thousands of migrating swans. The event is commemorated with the Celebration of Swans at Marsh Lake. Spring also brings a 24-hour playwriting cabaret and Simapalooza, the end-of-season bash at the ski hill.