Slave River Paddlefest
Mountain Portage Rapids X0E 0P0 Fort Smith, NT, Canada

Chat and learn about river SUP with these rad Aquabatics ambassadors! Reta is also on our instructor line up for small group SUP courses tentatively planned for August long weekend, and you can take this opportunity to connect with her if you're interested in SUP courses on the Slave River!

This is the first of more posts to come in the following months to update how plans for Paddlefest 2020 may be impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis. Our annual festival on August long weekend is currently still planned for July 31 to August 3, 2020. With 4 months left, we are undertaking a risk assessment and will adjust our plans as health officials release regulations for summer events. It is a possibility that some events may be too high risk (communal meals and the ind...oor dance party, for example). These events will either have mitigation strategies including a participation cap, or they may have to be canceled. We acknowledge the seriousness of the pandemic and our priority is to not contribute to its spread. We plan to release our final plan and mitigation strategies by June and any expected cancellations will be announced then. Paddlefest typically draws hundreds of people to Fort Smith, about half of which tend to be from the NWT and the other half from other provinces and countries. We are proud of how Paddlefest has brought people together in appreciation of the Slave River and contributed to the local economy in the past, but this year we will have to adjust in response to the pandemic. This will likely mean placing a limit on registration and potential cancellation of high-risk events. We will still be out there paddling and celebrating the river, which is what Paddlefest is really about, even if it is just a local group of paddlers staying 2 meters apart! At this time we believe that plans for our core events, such as paddling clinics, competitions and games, should be able to safely continue with social distancing. Outdoor events are considered low risk of viral tranmission due to ventilation of fresh air and open space to avoid crowding. Paddling in small group settings is likely one of the safest outdoor activities right now, as long as paddlers are aware of and follow social distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene practices on and off the water. Currently there is a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people in Alberta, and the NWT is recomending no gatherings of any kind. It is too early to anticipate what regulations will be for end of summer festivals, so we are playing it by ear for now until making our final decision by June. Outdoor activity supports health in many ways. We are putting our best efforts to plan a safe version of Paddlefest for this year's August long weekend. In the meantime we wish everyone good health, stay safe, and hang in there!

The days are getting longer, spring is on it's way, and we are stoked to announce that preparations for Slave River Paddlefest are on point for August long weekend 2020! Join us July 31st to August 3rd for classic Paddlefest events, clinics, competitions, as well as some new shenanigans... This year we'll be hosting SUP clinics with guest instructors Brittany Parker and Reta Boychuk! Registration coming soon, let us know if you want more info. Interested in kayaking? We're pl...anning a variety of beginner-friendly clinics all summer long, partnered with the Fort Smith Paddling Club and our guest instructors. Stay tuned for more info coming soon! Follow us for news about this year's events as we get ready to paddle into into another adventure at Slave River Paddlefest 2020!

Whether you can come for the whole August long weekend (or longer) or only have 2 days in Fort Smith, NWT, the Slave River is a memorable experience! https://uphere.ca/articles/48-hours-fort-smith