The last 60 years of Rendezvous has seen many changes, be it the events, weather or the people. But, overall, the festival has consistently brought the community together, during times of darkness and cold, with colour and lasting memories.
Back in 1945, when the Winter Carnival (as Rendezvous was then called) was first introduced, it was overseen by the All Union Committee. It was known as “an elaborate program of winter sports in which professionals and amateur sports enthusiasts of the U.S., Alaska and Canada will participate” (yukonrendezvous.com/history).
Little did anyone know it would evolve into the world-renowned Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous
Festival (better known as the Yukon Rendezvous Festival in 2021) and would expand to include
outlandish competitions, characters and events. The festival competitions have consisted of log
tossing, the swede saw competition, cabin building, ax throwing, chainsaw chucking and bathtub races—and all of this on the riverfront downtown. It moved to Main Street for a good portion of the late ’80s and early ’90s, and in 2008, the festival moved to Shipyards Park, where many of the events still happen to this day.
The festival has drawn celebrities, politicians and other well-known personalities, over the
years, including Colonel Sanders (1973) and Pierre Elliot Trudeau (1980).
Some key moments in the history of the festival have included the1946 Winter Carnival’s establishment of the Kangaroo Court. The Court enforced certain rules throughout Whitehorse to ensure community support and merrymaking. One of the rules stated: “All men under 50 years of age must grow a beard (with some exceptions), and any man found not advertising the Carnival in this manner will be tried for ‘non-support’ and fined in any way deemed fit by the Committee.”
In 1986, two iconic festival characters were created: the Snowshoe Shufflers were brought to life by Lake Laberge Marj and Rat River Mary. The Shufflers are pioneers when it comes to Rendezvous. They’re full of laughter, warmth, friendship, and colour.
Around the same time, the Sourdough Sams popped up as the fun-loving, foot-stomping, bear-wrasslin’, beer-drinking tycoons we’ve all come to expect will put on a good show. Other iconic characters include the Can Can Dancers and the Queen candidates. These traditions both started during the Winter Carnival and are still part of the festivities to this day. Other long-standing events included are the Dereen Hildebrand Business Décor Challenge, the Mad Trapper events (Flour Packing and more), the Cultural Craft Fair and the Rendezvous Parade.
And while things have evolved, as Whitehorse has grown, the festival still maintains a sense of tradition. It brings joy to the community. People are eager to tell friends and family, living down south, about the crazy things that go on here during Rendezvous—chucking a chainsaw, riding in a dogsled, participants using their teeth to pull the garter off of a Can Can dancer’s leg, and watching a crowd of people dressed in 1800s-era Klondike finery as they stand in line, in the cold, to buy tickets to an event.
You can read more the festival’s history on our website at yukonrendezvous.com/history. And for this year’s schedule of events, check out yukonrendezvous.com/2024-festival/2024-schedule.
