Jets street party becomes tickets-only event

Fans will needa ticket to experience the next Winnipeg whiteout though it might be a challenge to get one.

True North Sports & Entertainment put27,000 freetickets up for grabs at noon Friday forthe next street partySaturday at 4 p.m. CT.

Just an hour aftertheir noon CT release, Ticketmaster's website listed the tickets for the street party as "not many left."

The tickets can be downloaded with no service fee at the Ticketmaster website,True North officials said.

The Jets, in collaboration withEconomic Development Winnipegand the Winnipeg Police Service,decided to make the event a ticketed affairto ensure fans are not turned away at the gate.

"We want to make sure that people ... come downtown and don't get disappointed," said DaynaSpiring, presidentand CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, at a news conference Friday.

"We look forward to one heck of a street party tomorrow and one heck of a Game 1 in the western final."

A ticketed party lets security, police and hospitality teamsbetter plan for the expected surge of white-clad supporters, the team said.

Party area expands

The club expects more fans will be clamouring for the street partyafter the Jets secured a berth in the Western Conference final on Thursday.

Puck drop for the first game against the Vegas Golden Knights will beSaturday at 6 p.m. CT.

Fans can secure a maximum of eight tickets per order for the first pair ofstreet parties.The sanctioned outdoors whiteoutwillagain capthefamily area atMillennium Library to 3,000 people.

Spiringacknowledged some people might try to make money off theirfree ticket, but she felt the new initiative remains necessary.

"Weneeded to find a way to make sure that peopledon't get disappointed andwe need to make sure that we can keep people safe," she said.

People attending the game at Bell MTS Place can use their game ticketto jointhe outdoors whiteout before the on-ice battle starts.

KevinDonnelly, vice-president of True North Sports &Entertainment, said officials areenlarging the party's footprint by incorporating aparking lotnorth of Graham Avenue, but arenot increasingthe party's capacity.

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The new security measure ensures Winnipeg police can deploy appropriate resources,Insp.DaveDalalsaid.

"For us, it's really about predictability," he said. "We need to plan our operations for this party andwe need to still maintain operations on the streetevery citizen still needs a police car to come" to an emergency.

Game tickets are available for purchase onTicketmaster.