Blocks of snow are in place for snow carving, the big tent has been set up, and many Whitehorse residents have already taken in performances by talented can can dancers, musicians and many more who will also be taking to the main stage in Shipyards Park this weekend.

The annual Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival is moving into full swing.

“We definitely encourage everyone to come out,” David Blottner, the festival’s executive director, said in an interview earlier this week.

Shipyards Park will be the site of many free events beginning Friday, with Rendezvous offering a little something for everyone, he pointed out.

A number of events have been hosted through the week around town. They have ranged from last Saturday’s pub crawl to the Sourdough Sams events to the Queen’s Tea and Social and the affiliated Babe Southwick Memorial sled dog races and more.

This weekend will see the major line-up of events. Those include favourites like the axe throw, international snow carving competition, a fireworks display, and kidsfest events among others in a 124-item list of events.

In 2016, an estimated 18,000 people attended Rendezvous, and Blottner said he expects the same to happen this year.

There’s a noticeable lack of snow compared to previous years. But if the forecast of warmer temperatures this weekend prove accurate, he expects there will be a large crowd out for the events.

This year, Blottner said, there have been some big changes to the Queens program.

The Queen candidates’ sales of raffle tickets serve as the major funding source for the events. Without their efforts, he said, the festival would not be able to continue on, as it has for so decades.

A major part of the festival is the events featuring the Queen candidates – a fashion show, tea, and finally the crowning of the Rendezvous Queen, among others.

“Some of those events had gotten a bit stale,” Blottner acknowledged.

He noted the work of many volunteers to revamp the program and create the Quest for the Crown lineup of events that refresh the Queen events.

They include the fashion show, a royal feast and tea, and will culminate in the crowning of the 2017 Rendezvous Queen on Saturday night at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre.

Partway through the crowning event, weather permitting, festival-goers will be able to take in the fireworks display that will light up the night sky at around 8:30 p.m.

The 75th anniversary of the Alaska Highway will also be a focus of the festival, with a military show scheduled.

The local Boys and Girls Club is also back to host a variety of kids’ events with a number of new games set up for the “carefully constructed mayhem” that is the KidsFest portion of the festival.

The Aboriginal Sports Circle is also hosting an Alaska High-kick competition.

While most of the weekend’s Rendezvous festivities will be held at the park, there will be other activities scattered about town.’

Among them are the air show display at the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport and a Rendezvous-affiliated hockey tournament at the Takhini Arena.

Sunday afternoon will mark the end of the festival with the annual Rendezvous parade at 3 p.m. down Main Street from Sixth Avenue to Second Avenue before it heads to Shipyards Park.

The city’s bylaw department will be monitoring the parade route to keep traffic away from the event.

The city is also recommending residents take transit, car pool or use active transportation to get to Rendezvous events, as parking will be limited.

Blottner is encouraging everyone celebrating the Rendezvous holiday to party safely.

Most public sector employees will have the day off work on Friday, and the courts and the banks will be closed.