Skaters in kilts hit the ice in Winnipeg for the Great Canadian Kilt Skate | CBC News

Winnipeg skaters in kilts hit the ice at Assiniboine Park on Sunday afternoon for the St. Andrew’s Society’s Great Canadian Kilt Skate.

The event, which began in Ottawa in 2015, has branched across Canada and even the globe, taking place in seven provinces, as well as the U.S. and Australia.

“You don’t have to be Scottish, you don’t have to wear tartan, or even a kilt,” Evelyn Mitchell, organizer of the event, told CBC on Sunday.

“If you want to channel your inner Scot and put on a tartan or a kilt, you’re more than welcome to.”

Winnipeg won the title of The Great Canadian Kilt Skate in 2021, which is a title that is not dictated by the amount of people who show up, but by the fun ideas that people come up with, said Mitchell.

She’s hoping Winnipeg will reclaim the title again this year.

“We want that title back.”

Skater Christopher Lawson said there was a good turnout at the Sunday event, and that the weather helped.

“The last few years were pretty cold, so this is a good change.”

He said skating in a kilt is a different experience. “It’s cooler than it is with pants on.”

Fellow skater James Sutherland, who has joined the Winnipeg kilt skate for several years, agreed that the event is “cold on the cheeks.”

It’s also a great way to promote Scottish heritage in Manitoba, to meet people and have a good time.

“The more people that come out, the more fun we have,” he said.

“We’ve been the kilt skate capital of Canada a couple of times, and we hope to be it again this year.”