The Gimli Ice Festival is seeking volunteers to help run its ice racing events on Lake Winnipeg in Gimli, Manitoba, on March 7–8, 2026. Organizers say they are recruiting residents to fill several roles needed to keep the races safe and on schedule.
The Winnipeg Sports Car Club (WSCC) is managing the motorsports portion of the weekend, which includes high-speed ‘Fire on Ice’ racing and ICE‑X drifting. The club needs volunteers for specialized safety roles such as corner marshals (flaggers), gate control, and tech inspectors (scrutineers). These positions are essential: motorsports on frozen lake ice require specific safety-staff ratios to meet sanctioning and insurance requirements.
New volunteers are welcome; the WSCC provides on-ice training for newcomers. Volunteers get a close-up view of the action and are typically offered perks such as a complimentary ticket to the weekend banquet at the Lakeview Resort. Historically, volunteers have also been able to take part in open-lapping sessions (the chance to drive their own vehicles on the ice) when those sessions are scheduled.
The festival — which Travel Manitoba named Event of the Year in 2023 — has grown over roughly 15 years into a major winter attraction and draws drivers from across Western Canada and the northern United States. Because the racing program has expanded, organizers say they need a larger volunteer corps than in previous years to manage spectators and the racing field.
The weekend schedule is being finalized and organizer-run positions are filling quickly. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact the WSCC Ice Director at ice@wscc.mb.ca or register through the WSCC/MotorsportReg event listing for the Gimli weekend.
