Planning a trip to Saskatoon

Visitor Information

From mid-May to the end of August, a booth is open at Avenue C North at 47th Street. Otherwise, contact Tourism Saskatoon (202 4th Ave. N.; tel. 800/567-2444 or 306/242-1206; www.tourismsaskatoon.com). Summer hours for both are Monday to Friday 8:15am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday 8:30am to 5:30pm; winter hours for the Tourism Saskatoon office are Monday through Friday 8:15am to 5pm.

City Layout

The South Saskatchewan River cuts a diagonal north-south swath through the city. The main downtown area lies on the west bank; the University of Saskatchewan and the long neon sign-crazed 8th Street dominate the east bank. Streets are laid out in a numbered grid system -- 22nd Street divides north- and south-designated streets; Idylwyld Drive divides, in a similar fashion, east from west. 1st Street through 18th Street lie on the river's east side; 19th Street and up are situated on the west bank in the downtown area. Spadina Crescent runs along the river's west bank, where you'll find such landmarks as the Delta Bessborough, the Ukrainian Museum, and the art gallery.

Special Events & Festivals

The 8-day Saskatoon Exhibition (tel. 888/931-9333 or 306/931-7149; www.saskatoonexhibition.ca), usually held the second week of August, attracts over 200,000 patrons. It provides some grand agricultural spectacles, such as the threshing competition in which steam power is pitted against gas -- sometimes with unexpected results -- and the tractor-pulling competition, when standard farm tractors are used to pull a steel sled weighted down with a water tank. Admission of C$13 adults, C$9 children 11 to 15 (free for children 10 and under with an adult), lets you in all the entertainments -- a craft show, talent competitions, chuck-wagon races, thoroughbred racing, a midway, and fireworks. Parking is C$7.

In mid-August, Folkfest (tel. 306/931-0100; www.saskatoonfolkfest.ca) celebrates the city's many ethnic groups through food, displays, and performances; admission is C$14 adults, free for children 12 and under if accompanied by an adult.