It was definitely a site to see, as 3,600 people gather at Winnipeg’s iconic intersection to form Canada’s largest living maple leaf.
The group, dressed in the national colours of red and white, gathered on Portage Avenue and Main Street to form the giant maple leaf.
“It was a perfect way to start Canada Day to celebrate with thousands of Winnipeggers,” said Tineke de Jong, with the Downtown Winnipeg Biz.
“It was bright and early and it started to rain, but the sun came out, so we are so grateful those people came to join us.”
The Downtown Winnipeg Biz said the idea was to transform the traditional Canadian flag into a maple leaf to accommodate the growing number of participants and better fit the dimensions of the intersection.
Winnipeg first held the title for largest living Canadian flag in 2011. Calgary took the title from Winnipeg in 2014, but Winnipeg reclaimed it back in 2015 and 2016.
Last year’s living flag was held at Shaw Park with around 3,200 participants.
In 2012, the living flag photo was chosen and produced as an official Canada Post stamp with more than 10 million produced and circulated worldwide.
