Watch above: In a winter city like Edmonton it’s easy to seek refuge indoors. But on Sunday, hundreds of Edmontonians put on their winter gear for a good old fashioned snowball fight.
EDMONTON — Hundreds of people descended on Edmonton’s Kinsmen Park Sunday afternoon for a good old fashioned snowball fight.
Under a clear, sunny, blue sky, the much-anticipated #yegsnowfight started at noon. People young and old came out for the massive battle. The Make Something Edmonton initiative is all about embracing the season and all the joys that come along with it.
“The fact that people are here just speaks volumes about the city,” said Robin Mazumder, one of the organizers. “We couldn’t be more excited. When we saw the forecast – it’s just a blue sky, the sun’s out, it’s mild, we can spend some time outside without it getting too cold.
“It couldn’t be more perfect. I’m just so impressed.”
Watch below: GoPro video footage of #yegsnowfight
The massive flash mob-style snow battle was the brain child of Mazumder and Jeff Chase. The men were strangers before coming up with the idea through a conversation on Twitter.
Since November, people were asked to sign up to receive a text message alert about the battle. Then, when the conditions were perfect the text message blast with the date, time and location would go out. That text message blast went out to 2,800 people Saturday afternoon.
“When Jeff and I originally met just for a beer to talk about having a snowball fight we thought 50 people would show up,” Mazumder said.
“#yegsnowfight was really just about celebrating winter in the city,” added Chase. “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.”
And the idea was a huge success. With Edmonton’s skyline in the distance, snowballs could be seen flying through the air at Kinsmen Park Sunday afternoon.
“People just want to have a good time, I guess. And it’s a great way to enjoy winter,” said Colton Balicki, a young man who took part in the fight.
“Why not? It’s a beautiful day, family fun. I have four kids and they’re out there having a blast. So it’s awesome,” added Jaime Gonek, an Edmonton mother.
Participants were also quick to take to Twitter to share their pictures.
The organizers also collected donations for the Edmonton Food Bank.
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