Whiteout Party organizers learn free tickets aren’t always used

Free tickets for the Whiteout Street Party went up for grabs Thursday for Game 5 of the Western Conference Final between the Jets and Vegas on Sunday.

37,500 tickets were released. But capacity for the party will be capped at 27,000. Attendees will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

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With only 11,000 attending Monday’s match-up, Senior Vice President with True North Sports and Entertainment Kevin Donnelly said they know when tickets are free, not everyone redeems them.

He said the redemption rate of Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Final was about 50 per cent.

“We still feel confident that the invitation comes with the ticket. If you have a ticket, come on down. We hope that the ratio improves to about 65-to-75 per cent.”

Police Chief Danny Smyth said the decision to add tickets in the first place was and still is to control the size of the crowd and maintain safety.

“I think people are understanding why there are dump trucks at the end of the blocks. They’re understanding why we’ve had to try and ticket it to try and predict the size of the crowd. We’re learning as we go.”

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You are now allowed to pick up your tickets at the street party gate.

Tickets are also available online at TicketMaster and the Bell MTS Place Box Office.