About Viking Park
Megi tengslin á milli Íslands og Nýja Íslands, ávalt verða farsæl
May the connections between Iceland and New Iceland be forever celebrated
By donating to the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba, you can give a gift that builds community and lasts for generations.
Commemorate your loved ones and milestone moments in your own named space in Viking Park or the Viking Park Connectivity Project.
Your donation ensures that the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba can host a family-friendly celebration for years to come.
The Viking Park Story
In 2014, Islendingadagurinn commemorated 125 years of celebrating Icelandic history, culture, and its contribution to life in Manitoba. In honour of this milestone anniversary, the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba’s 125 Legacy Cabinet Committee worked with our partners, the R.M. of Gimli and Betel Home Foundations to create Viking Park (completed in 2017) and the Viking Park Connectivity Project. (completed in 2021). Consultation and support from residents, cottagers, visitors and others help to forge these uniquely Icelandic spaces.
Viking Park is comprised of fully accessible walkways that are inscribed with commemorative messages and greetings from people like you who donated to make the park a reality. Visitors can now walk among trolls, elves and portions of the old breakwater set among gardens filled with Indigenous plants, grasses and flowers. The park has been described as a ‘gem’ in Manitoba, reflecting the history and culture of the community, and tells the story of Gimli and its Icelandic heritage on a backlit heritage wall.
The Connectivity Project began in 2017 after the completion of Viking Park and is every bit as meaningful. The project connects Viking Park to the main harbour area in Gimli. These tree-lined pathways and sidewalks provide safer passage in a park-like setting. The Breakwater Timber Boardwalk, and special commemorative areas such as the rejuvenated Cenotaph and the creation of the Fjallkona Walkway, are expressions of the unique culture and heritage of Gimli. Wayfinding markers make the town more navigatable for visitors and add charm to Gimli’s attractive downtown.
Your donation to the Icelandic Festival will be acknowledged with a named space that will tell your story for generations. Your donation will also contribute to the Festival’s endowment fund. The endowment fund supports the Festival’s mission to promote and sustain interest in Icelandic culture and descent, primarily through an annual family-oriented festival. Interest raised through the endowment funds helps offset the cost of the festival, ensuring that we can continue to offer our events at low, or no cost.
Donate
Viking Park and the Connectivity Project have created storied canvasses to mark meaningful moments in our lives. Tell your story and support the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba.
Limited opportunities remain until August 31, 2023 to recognize your family or bestow a dedication to a milestone in your life or the life of a loved one, on a plaque on a Settlement Marker or a bench. All donations are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
- Bench (1 available)
- Settlement marker (1 available)
- Breakwater Plaque (SOLD OUT) We may offer these again in 2023
Donate online. For more information, please contact the office at (204) 642-7417 or info@icelandicfestival.com
Campaign Cabinet Co-Chairs: Grant Stefanson and Kathi Thorarinson Neal
Campaign Members: J.Timothy Samson, Tim Arnason, Arni Thorsteinson, Ernest Stefanson and Lorna Tergesen. Dr. Ken Thorlakson (Advisor).
Viking Park in the Media
