On Friday, Diefenbaker Park was busy with a couple dozen volunteers. Saturday will be a different story.
Around 50 thousand people are expected to attend Canada’s 150th anniversary at the park.
“We’re putting a lot more into the fireworks, a lot more into stepping up our security to make sure it’s a safe environment for everybody tomorrow and our entertainment is a lot more than we could ever spend on before,” Brad Sylvester, the Optimist Canada Day co-chair, said.
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Organizers said this year’s budget has increased from $25 thousand to $300 thousand for the Diefenbaker Park celebration.
The fireworks budget has increased 2.5 times.
“Probably 100 plus hours goes into this show, if not more,” Tyler Brown, with Fireworks Spectaculars Canada, said.
The fireworks crew from Calgary is getting ready to light up the Saskatoon sky tomorrow night at 10:30 p.m. CT.
“It’s going to be a really big show this year, so we’re taking two days to set it up. Normally, we’d just do one,” Brown explained.
The city has added free transit from Centre Mall, Market Mall, Lawson Heights Mall and Confederation Mall to Diefenbaker Park. These routes operate every 30 minutes between noon and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Parking is free. But more so, don’t use your vehicle. Ride your bike. We got SEIU-West is sponsoring the bike valet which is free, or take the bus,” Sylvester said.
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If you’re looking for other places to celebrate Canada’s birthday, Dundonald Park is hosting a party starting at 4 p.m., concluding with fireworks at night.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’ at Saskatoon is also hosting a gathering at Dr. Gerhard Herzberg Park at noon Saturday. The event will include a free barbecue and singing of the national anthem.