The Town of Banff is hosting a Winter Solstice Community Lantern Skate on Sunday, December 21, 2025, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Okâch – Îyethkabi Oûgitûbi pavilion in Sundance Park so residents can build lanterns, skate by lantern light and “welcome longer days.”
The event listing on the Town of Banff’s website says: “Create your own beautiful lantern! We will all light up our lanterns for an evening skate, where we will enjoy some live local music and stay warm sipping hot tea by the big fires as we say goodbye to the darkness and welcome longer days.”
Organizers are pitching the skate as a low-cost, community-focused way to mark the winter solstice. The Town is running the program through its events calendar and posted the notice as part of an Events Spotlight on Nov. 26, 2025. The listing invites people to make their own lanterns, come for live local music, and gather around large fires with hot tea.
The skate will use the new pavilion at Sundance Park — the pavilion is officially named Okâch – Îyethkabi Oûgitûbi — which the town completed in 2023; the pavilion’s name was adopted following consultation with the Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation. The pavilion’s project page notes the building cost about $3.4 million, with regional funding contributions. Town leaders have described the space as designed for a wider range of community activities than just sports fields.
This lantern skate is not a brand-new idea for Banff. Local news photos show a similar “longest-night” lantern skate on Dec. 21, 2024, with residents skating under lantern light at the same park. The repeat of the event suggests it may become an annual tradition for the town as a simple, neighbourly way to mark seasonal change.
The Town’s calendar entry and event page are the official sources for date, time and location; residents interested in attending can check the calendar for updates. The lantern skate is framed as a short, family-friendly community gathering that encourages people to come together outdoors in a town known for its scenic winter evenings.
