WINNIPEG -- Around 11,000 people are expected to attend Thursday’s Whiteout Street Party, after organizers made the decision to reduce the event’s capacity from 15,000.

Insp. Dave Dalal, of the Winnipeg Police Service, said the Thursday before Easter is one of their busiest nights, so capacity at the party was reduced so officers could “maintain safe operations throughout the city.”

Tickets for Thursday’s street party are now sold out.

Game 5 between the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues begins at 7:30 p.m.

Road closures in effect

In order to accommodate the parties, as well as the setup and cleanup involved, a number of streets will be closed beginning at 10:30 a.m. on April 18 until 6:30 a.m. on April 19.

• Southbound Donald Street between Portage Avenue and St. Mary Avenue

• Graham Avenue between Carlton Street and Garry Street

• Northbound Smith Street will be closed between St. Mary Avenue and Portage Avenue, but the Millennium parkade entrance from St. Mary Avenue, and the Radisson Hotel parkade from the back lane south of Portage Avenue will remain open.

The city suggests that drivers give themselves extra travel time and use alternate routes.

Millennium Library and parkade

The Millennium Library will close at 5 p.m. on April 18.

The city said during the street closures, the Millennium Library will only be accessible through the skywalk or parkade.

The library’s Donald Street entrance will be closed from 10:30 a.m. on April 18 until 6:30 a.m. on April 19. All cars will have to access the parkade through the Smith Street entrance.

The library’s street-level stairwell doors to the parkade will be locked at 10:30 a.m. on April 18. During this time, the parkade will only be accessible through the skywalk.

Transit reroutes

Starting at 10:30 a.m. on April 18 until 6:30 a.m. on April 19, Winnipeg Transit buses will be rerouted off of Graham Avenue from Carlton Street to Garry Street.

During this time, bus stops along eastbound Graham Avenue between Hargrave Street and Smith Street will be temporarily out of service. People who normally use these stops can catch buses at either eastbound Graham Avenue at Edmonton Street or northbound Fort Street at Graham Avenue.

Bus stops along westbound Graham Avenue between Donald Street and Edmonton Street will also be temporarily out of service. Passengers who normally use these stops can catch their buses at westbound St. Mary Avenue at Donald Street and northbound Edmonton Street mid-block between St. Mary Avenue and Graham Avenue.

The Winnipeg Transit Plus loading zone located at southbound Donald Street at Graham Avenue and at the Millennium Library will be moved to eastbound Portage Avenue next to the Radisson Hotel during the transit reroute. The Transit Plus loading zone at the Cityplace loading zone will be moved to northbound Hargrave Street on the north side of St. Mary Avenue.

More information is available on the Winnipeg Transit website or at 311.