YXE Urban Games took place from August 16-18, 2024. We bought a three-day pass but unfortunately missed the last day because my son was sick. I want to talk about the first two days because we LOVED this new event. I’m sure anybody who attended agrees that this was an amazing new festival. If you didn’t make it, we are already looking forward to next year.
This year, my son and I have tried to learn how to skateboard. We haven’t practiced enough and still have so much to learn but as soon as I heard about these Urban Games, I knew he would love all the different sports we could watch, especially skateboarding. The Urban Sports available to watch (and learn) were Breaking, Dodgeball, Futsal, Skateboarding, Spikeball, Ultimate Frisbee and more. They also hosted the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series. We watched one game and loved it and the rest of the crowd did too. They also showcased our local talent through Urban Art. The games had ticketed activities and opportunities to watch free events like motocross and wakeboarding.
Opening Ceremonies – Photo by Erin McCrea.
We arrived on Friday in time for the opening ceremonies. This included a Grand Entry with athletes from each sport, the official opening of the inaugural YXE Urban games, and artistic performances. The crowd was huge as Saskatoon welcomed the creators of the games and the athletes.
Exploring the games. Photo by Erin McCrea.
The first night, we walked around to check out the food, booths, art, games and kids’ section. They even had somebody giving henna tattoos (for donations) and my boy was thrilled about his new tattoo.
Urban Art – Photo by Erin McCrea.
My son could have watched and asked all the artists questions all night. He loved watching them create and learning more about what they were making. He also enjoyed seeing their vision and understanding what they were making. We loved checking in throughout the weekend to see the progress.
Motocross – Photo by Erin McCrea.
The next day, we had fun attempting to play and learn Spikeball. We also watched some rollerskating and basketball and then went to explore the sports outside the ticketed area. We saw some wakeboarding and motocross. My son was amazed by the motocross jumps and was thrilled to get his shirt signed, which just happened to be motocross-themed.
2024 Urban Games. Photo taken by my son.
We had a blast checking out the YXE Urban Games and even though we saw so many things, we still felt like we needed to see more. I know we will have more exploring to do when it comes back in 2025. The games are a wonderful addition to Saskatoon’s already amazing summer events.
YXE Urban Games
Website: www.facebook.com/yxeurbangames
We continually update our Saskatoon Family Fun Event Calendar; you can check it out here.
