COVID-19 means no walking, no food donation bins at Edmonton’s Candy Cane Lane

The COVID-19 pandemic means one of Edmonton’s most popular winter attractions will look much different this year than in year’s past.

YEG Candy Cane Lane officially opens on Friday. It runs from sunset to midnight every night until Jan. 1.

While the event typically includes sleigh rides, fire pits and food trucks, those amenities will not be offered this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The sidewalks will also be closed to pedestrians, and those attending will only be allowed to drive down the lane.

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Another major change this year is that Edmonton’s Food Bank will not place food donation bins along the streets.

“We really felt it was important that we played a leadership role and encouraged people to be safe at this time and we didn’t want people exiting their cars,” said Marjorie Bencz, executive director with Edmonton’s Food Bank.

“It’s a drive-thru only so we didn’t want people exiting their cars and making donations.”

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Candy Cane Lane is typically a big food-raising event for the organization heading into Christmas. Bencz said the event typically accounts for eight to 15 per cent of the food bank’s holiday goal.

1:48 Our YEG at Night: Candy Cane Lane a classic holiday attraction in Edmonton

The food bank typically collects 25,000 kilograms of food at Candy Cane Lane each year. Over the last two decades, more than 360,000 kilograms of food have been donated along the lane in support of Edmonton’s Food Bank.

The food bank is encouraging people to donate in other ways this year:

• Canned and non-perishable food donations can be dropped at any major grocery store
• Monetary donations can be made online
• Monetary donations can be made on mobile phones by texting FEEDYEG to 20222

“People have been trying to pivot and help us out this year because we, as an organization, rely on special events and food drives to do our work and get those contributions in from the public,” Bencz said.

“As we’ve seen right from the big one being the Heritage Festival, we had to change and pivot in order to bring resources again. The whole year has been a series of change, just like the rest of the community and the rest of the world.”

Candy Cane Lane is located on 148 Street between 99 and 92 avenues.