Photo: City of Toronto

Rink Social

Location

City of Toronto Outdoor Rinks

Year

2019

Partners

City of Toronto Parks and Recreation,

Pepiniere,

Evergreen

Rink Social was a series of pop-up winter rink installations and programming commissioned by the City of Toronto to explore innovative ways to expand the audience and usage of the City of Toronto’s public outdoor rink.

In the role of Executive Lead for Evergreen, Cam Collyer led the placemaking initiative and oversaw design, programming and partnerships.

Rink activations occurred at four rinks across Toronto including Regent Park South Ice Rink, downtown Toronto; McCowan District Park, Scarborough; Mel Lastman Square, North York and West Mall Outdoor Rink, Etobicoke.

Music, performances, food, warm drinks, fireside seating, and opportunities for outdoor play contributed to the atmosphere. At Mel Lastman Square rink, the program also debuted the first ever winter Caribana. Over 5,000 people participated in the rink activations.

The initiative also included training for City staff, building their capacity for hosting similar activities in the future.