Rock the River Winter Festival
| Rock the River Winter Festival | |
|---|---|
| Established | 2002 |
| Host city | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Arena | Outdoors on the Red River |
The Rock the River Winter Festival, formerly known as the Ironman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel, is Canada’s largest outdoor curling bonspiel and a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The event takes place annually since 2002 on the Red River along the Nestaweya River Trail.[1][2] The event can now field up to 80 teams of all skill levels and takes place on the first full weekend of February every year.
History
The inaugural event was held the Forks Historic Port where the Red River meats the Assiniboine River on February 15-16, 2002. Founders Eric Dawson and Kevin Wiebe attracted 14 curling teams and hosted the events on 2 official size sheets of ice with full size curling rocks. The founding principal for this annual event was that the bonspiel should always be available to everyone of all skill levels, and that funds raised from the bonspiel should go to charity.[3]
As the event grew in popularity, the hosting foundation required more space and moved the location south along the Red River to the Winnipeg Rowing Club, then even further south to the Redboine Boat Club. The event now involves eight sheets of curling ice and teams are guaranteed to play three games round robin style games throughout the bonspiel. Games are 6 ends or 70 minutes, and tie games go to skip stones.[4][5]
The Ironman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel has grown beyond its basic weekend event to include a new high school tournament that launched in 2025. This high school tournament takes place on the Friday of the Bonspiel during the day before the opening matches of the main tournament that evening.[6]
The Heart and Stroke Foundation was selected as the main charity given the event takes place in February, which is Heart and Stroke Awareness Month. Since 2002, more than $212,320 has been raised for local charities in Winnipeg, and in 2023, the event set a new record with $26,395.69 raised. This is the longest-running fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation.[7][8]
While the event is set for the first full weekend in February every year, warm weather can cause issues. Tournament organizers have implied cold temperatures and snow cannot stop the event, but sunshine and heat can make for unsafe or unplayable ice conditions.[9] Warm weather has caused delays to the event, but only the COVID-19 pandemic has been responsible for its cancellation since its inception.
In 2026, the event was renamed The Rock the River Winter Festival and partnered with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to live stream the finals on Sunday.[10]
Gallery
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Rock the River Winter Festival Rinks at night
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Rock the River Winter Festival Rinks during Friday Night Round 1
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Rock the River Winter Festival set up before games
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Rock the River Winter Festival in the snow
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Rock the River Winter Festival location along the Red River skating trail
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the sun setting behind the Rock the River Winter Festival
References
- ^ "Ironman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel – Winnipeg Events". Todo Canada. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ QX104 Country. Events – QX104 Country. www.qx104country.ca/events/74077/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- ^ Rock the River. Our History – Rock the River. www.rocktheriver.ca/our-history. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- ^ CTV News. ‘Very Unique Circumstances’: The Outdoor Curling Event Raising Money for a Cause. CTV News, www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/article/very-unique-circumstances-the-outdoor-curling-event-raising-money-for-a-cause/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- ^ Rock the River. Event Info – Rock the River. www.rocktheriver.ca/event-info. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- ^ Honeybun, Emma (February 26, 2025). "Curling for a good cause". Our Communities. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
- ^ CBC News. Ironman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel Returns to Winnipeg After Pandemic Pause. CBC, 12 Feb. 2022, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/ironman-outdoor-curling-bonspiel-winnipeg-2022-1.6341289. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- ^ Curl Manitoba. 23rd Annual Ironman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel Hosted at the Winnipeg Rowing Club for 2024. Curl Manitoba, 5 Jan. 2024, curlmanitoba.org/2024/01/05/23rd-annual-ironman-outdoor-curling-bonspiel-hosted-at-the-winnipeg-rowing-club-for-2024/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
- ^ "Ironman Outdoor Curling Bonspiel – now Feb 16–18!". CBC News. January 30, 2024.
- ^ CBC News. (2026, January 13). Recreational and Olympic curling at Rock the River. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/community/rock-the-river-2026-9.7043535