Know Before You Go - All Native Basketball Tournament

This is the biggest sporting event of the year in Prince Rupert. To help things go as smoothly as possible, the City's Recreation Department is sharing some helpful tips and information on what to expect at our facility.

• The facility doors open daily at 7 am, and the facility closes after the final games are complete each night.
• It can sometimes be chilly! We are always working to balance keeping the athletes from overheating and keeping the spectators comfortable. We do our best, but it is a good plan to bring a warm sweater, hat and/or blanket if you tend to run cold. This year we teamed up with the Port Authority and there will be a limited number of blankets available to elders (first come first served).
• Make sure you visit the auditorium to check out all the amazing vendors (and bring cash just in case they don't have tap payment options!).
• With so many people in attendance, it's important to familiarize yourself with the nearest Emergency Exit. In case of an emergency, the muster stations are located either at the totem poles at the front of the building, or at the Chris Maguire field (between the parking lot and the Middle School). Facility guidelines and safety plans will be posted as you enter the Civic Centre.
• Game schedules are posted and updated on the @ANBT Facebook page, and their website also has additional information at anbt.ca.
• Tickets can be purchased through the All-Native Tournament committee- Recreation office outside gymnasium
• Want to tune in live? Live coverage is offered, as in the past, by CFNR for those not able to make the games at cfnrfm.ca/anbt
• Feeling peckish? Alongside food offered by vendors in the auditorium, the canteen is also a great place to fuel up. Cash, debit, and credit are accepted. There is no cash machine on site.
• For our patrons who may have more sensitivity to noise/light, events can sometimes be loud, and during Opening and Closing ceremonies there is a potential for flash/strobe lighting

Getting There and Parking

To accommodate the heavy traffic of the tournament, we've made a few tweaks to transportation access to try to make it as easy and safe as possible for all.

• We encourage carpooling, riding a bike or taking transit wherever possible! Parking is in short supply so this helps lower the competition for spots.
• There is a specific drop off point for elders and tournament attendees with accessibility needs - this is short term parking and we ask people to move as quickly as possible through this area so that all can benefit from the easy access.
• Taxis should enter from Highway 16/Wantage road, with drop off by the totem poles.
• The bus stop has moved to McBride Street in front of Mission Health for safety reasons.
• Believe it or not, we don't actually want to dole out parking tickets. Our Bylaw team will always try to find people first before issuing a ticket, and priority for enforcement is focused on people parking on the grass, double parking or blocking an emergency exit.
• There is no parking allowed along Wantage Road because of the daily large vehicle and equipment traffic going to and from the Public Works yard and because the roadway is narrow and not originally intended for parking. The community can get away with parking along the road for evening events, but when events run during the day, there is more potential for conflict with heavy traffic (hence the signs and no parking). We know, it's annoying, but your vehicle paint job will thank you.

The most important thing to know? It's going to be amazing, and we hope you have so much fun!