Winnipeg landmark The Forks Market turns 25

WINNIPEG – Manitoba tourism attraction and shopping mecca The Forks Market turns 25 on Saturday.

The market, the first step in what became a destination development at the meeting of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in Winnipeg, opened in 1989. Events planned to celebrate the anniversary Saturday include a big birthday cake and musical acts.

Here are some Forks facts to let you know what you’re celebrating:

• Number of acres: 56
• Number of yearly visitors: 4 million
• Height of The Forks Market tower: 6 storeys or 60 feet
• Canopy and skating rink opened in 1990
• Marina, harbour, and lighthouse opened in 1991.
• Oodena Celebration Circle opened in 1993 but was fully completed in 2004. The aim was to create a spiritual heart among the commercial and recreational developments. Its name comes from the Ojibwa word meaning “heart of the city.”
• The Johnston Terminal building, originally built between 1928 and 1930, opened as a market in 1993.
• The Manitoba Children’s Museum (in a building first constructed in 1889) opened in 1994
• Manitoba Theatre For Young People opened in 1999
• Skateboard Plaza opened in 2006
• The Canadian Museum for Human Rights opened in 2014