Kilt Skate in Toronto

Kristy Van Hoven reports:

February 15th was the best day for a snowy wonderland of a kilt stake in Toronto. For the second year in a row, in the heart of the Don Valley, Evergreen Brickworks opened its public skate to an eager group of kilted skaters who shared their love of tartans and all things Scottish. 

After clearing snow off the ice, I was joined on the Evergreen rink by William Petrie of Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada (CASSOC) and his family and by members of Guthrie School of Dance as well as the general public. Everyone enjoyed the epitome of Scottish-Canadian winter — including a break for hot cocoa and cider while the Zamboni did its lap to refreshen the ice

 "We look forward to this event every year," said a parent at Guthrie School of Dance. The group has been involved with the Great Canadian Kilt Skate in Toronto since its inception in 2016.

William Petrie observed that this year’s kilt skate was held at "the beginning of Toronto's snow misery." when traffic in the city slowed to a crawl with an unusually intense winter blizzard. Nevertheless, a mighty great crowd braved the slush for an afternoon at the Brickworks.

 Next year, we hope to have a few more volunteers to help us pull off the best kilt skate post-pandemic in Toronto. We know there's more kilted skaters out there so hopefully we'll get them all in one place for a 2026 celebration!, If you're interested in volunteering, please reach out to guthriedancers@gmail.com.“However,” he added, “the location was actually quite nice and staff were fine with us doing the event.”

Kristy Van Hoven is the Artistic Director at Guthrie School of Dance. She has been involved with Toronto’s Great Canadian Kilt Skate since its inception.