William Petrie of the Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada and Kristy Van Hoven of the Guthrie School of Dance brought the Great Canadian Kilt Skate back for its second year at the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto’s Don Valley.

On Heritage Day, February 17th, the AHS hosted our third annual Great Canadian Kilt Skate! For those who don’t know, the Kilt Skate was conceived to mark the bicentennial of Canada’s first prime minister, in 2015. Since then, it has grown to include communities across Canada and even beyond, with skates taking place in the United States and even overseas!!!

One of the many things the Great Canadian Kilt Skate celebrates each year is the hardiness of the Scottish people. That ruggedness and resilience were tested on Monday as temperatures plunged close to -30 C while windchills made it feel closer to -40 C, and weather advisories warned against being outside much longer than a few seconds.

Under a weather warning and in the frigid cold of a daytime high of -22c with a wind chill up to -30c, some hearty Calgarians took to the ice in Kilts to celebrate the 11th Annual Great Canadian Kilt Skate.

The professional ice hockey outfit teamed up with Scottish Society of Ottawa, in Canada, who organised the Great Canadian Kilt Skate to celebrate the strong connection between their country and Scotland.

And back in Petawawa, the Canadian kilt skate was a big hit — especially with a new generation of kilt skaters.

Scottish culture and sound was celebrated with skating on the ice in Maxville during the annual Kilt Skate.

Members of the Orillia Scottish community skated and curled in kilts on Saturday to promote Scottish culture and raise funds for the annual Scottish festival.

In Ottawa, the kilt skate weekend provided sunny skies and temperatures cold enough to keep the ice hard but warm enough to take off the mitts, open the coat and get a tingle in the knees. A braw day when you didn’t mind lacing up outdoors.