Watch above: It’s the day thousands of Edmontonians have been waiting for. #yegsnowfight has been set for Sunday at noon in Kinsmen Park. Online producer Caley Ramsay has more.
EDMONTON — Get your snowball-making mitts ready, Edmonton. What’s hoped to be the largest snowball fight in the city will be held Sunday afternoon.
#yegsnowfight, a Make Something Edmonton initiative meant to embrace winter and celebrate the snow, will be held at Kinsmen Park Sunday at noon. Edmontonians who signed up for the text alert got the much-anticipated message Saturday afternoon.
The #yegsnowfight project is the brainchild of Jeff Chase and Robin Mazumder.
“It’s just going to last as long as people want it to last. We’re just there to have some fun and throw some snow,” said Chase.
“#yegsnowfight was really just about celebrating winter in the city. We love the snow and we love being together with Edmontonians. This is just really a way to embrace winter and build some community with people we might not know.”
In November, they asked people who were interested in participating a massive, family-friendly snowball fight to sign up for a text message alert. Then, when the timing and conditions for a snowball fight were perfect they would send out the date, time and location via text message.
READ MORE: Massive snowball fight gets huge response in Edmonton
About 2,800 people signed up for the text message announcement. Mazumder says the incredible show of interest came as a complete shock.
“We thought 50 people would show up and that in itself might be challenging,” said Mazumder. “It’s awesome. And it really demonstrates that if anybody out there wants to do something, start an initiative or whatever, the people here will support you in it.”
Both men think more than just those who signed up for the alert will show up Sunday.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of people who never signed up who will come or people bring their families, that sort of thing,” said Chase.
“Winter can be something that we complain about. I think it’s easy to take for granted the fact that we have snow and we have the winter season,” said Mazumder. “Just having a snowball fight is a fun, safe, enjoyable thing to do with people that you know and people that you’ve never met before.”
The organizers will also be collecting donations for the Food Bank.
“Dress warm. Bring yourself. Bring some food and bring a smile,” said Chase.
Not long after the text message alert went out Saturday, excited Edmontonians took to Twitter to celebrate.
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