Starting Friday, a river will run beside this summer’s Whitehorse town square.

According to an announcement from the city, the Riverfront Town Square will run along the waterfront and wharf area in downtown Whitehorse until Aug. 31.

“The town square promises to be a bustling social hub for residents and visitors, featuring a vendors’ market and local food trucks as well as live music and visual arts workshops,” the city said.

“A market will run each Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Food trucks will also be serving up a delicious variety of food as part of the town square.”

Music Yukon will produce free concerts beside the Roundhouse each Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. throughout July and August. 

Arts Underground will be hosting art workshops by the wharf each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Two visual artists will offer free workshops each week. 

The town square will have a soft launch on Friday with additional seating areas set up on the wharf and along the riverfront.

It will officially kick off on July 1 with a community art-making event in partnership with Yukon artist Ken Anderson and the Northern Cultural Expressions Society, in conjunction with the 2024 Adäka Cultural Festival. 

The 2023 town square was located on Main Street between Front Street and Second Avenue.

Some area merchants found that the street closure, combined with the loss of parking places, negatively impacted their sales volumes.