Canadians love their racing. Every Summer, fans in Toronto get treated to the Indy, and in Montreal, Formula 1 comes for their annual visit. Vancouver and Edmonton have also held Indycar races in the past. With this in mind, is it a wonder that Nintendo is taking to neighborhood Best Buy locations across Canada to celebrate the release of Mario Kart 8?
When you stop into your local Best Buy on May 24th, don’t be surprised to Nintendo greeting you with a racing wheel and inviting you to participate in a hands-on demonstration for Mario Kart 8 a week before launch!
If you stop in between 12-4 PM local that day at one of these following locations, you’ll get the chance to be one of the first to get caught up in all the branded mayhem and madness that only Mario Kart can bring.
Quick note: Toronto and Montreal based locations aren’t included here. Keep reading below for more information because Nintendo’s got something extra for you
Alberta
Calgary: 350 Stewart Green SW
Calgary: 8180 11th Ste SE
Edmonton: 9931 19th Ave NW
Edmonton: 13924 137th Ave NW
British Columbia
Vancouver: 2220 Cambie St
Surrey: 10025 King George Blvd
Langley: 20202 66th Ave
Manitoba
Winnipeg: 1580 Regent Ave W
Nova Scotia
Halifax: 11 Washmill Lake Crt
Ontario
Ottawa: 745 Kanata Ave
Kingston: 770 Gardiners Rd
Barrie: 80 Concert Way
Quebec
Chateau-Richer: 5401 Blvd des Galeries
Saskatchewan
3310 8th St E, Saskatoon
The first 50 people at every location here will receive a free gift card good for some karting at your local track!
Ok, as for you Toronto and Montreal area kart fans? You get 2 weekends dedicated to you. To start, you can visit Best Buy on May 24th between 12-4 and take part in the hands-on demos. Here are the locations participating in this promotion:
Greater Toronto Area
Toronto: 65 Dundas Street W
Scarborough: 480 Progress Avenue
Brampton: 25 Peel Center Drive
Mississauga: 6075 Mavis Road
Aurora: 52 First Commerce Drive
Montreal
Pointe-Claire: 6815 Trans-Canada Highway
Lasalle: 7077 Newman Blvd
Montreal: 8871 L’Acadie Boulevard
Anjou: 7200 Boulevard des Roseraies
At these locations, the first 50 people will receive vouchers good for a free t-shirt on Mario’s Canadian Karting Day, which will take place on May 31st.
On May 31st, take that voucher and get yourself down to one of the following local racetracks:
Toronto: 401 Mini-Indy Go-Karts (37 Stoffel Dr, Toronto, ON M9W 6A8) – (416) 614-6789
Montreal: Action 500 (5592 Hochelaga, Montréal, QC H1N 3L7) – (514) 254-4244
There, you’ll once again get the chance to play Mario Kart 8 with Nintendo representatives. In addition, the first 500 people at each location get a free race, and the winners of these competitive races will receive a commemorative Blue Spiny Shell trophy!
If that wasn’t enough, you can win more Nintendo prizes, meet some of your favourite Nintendo characters and more!
Everything listed above is available while supplies last. More details can be found at Nintendo Canada’s “I Just Karted” website.
The launch of Mario Kart 8 is primed to be one of the biggest and most involved Nintendo game launches in recent memory. In addition to the events above, don’t forget that buying and registering the game before July 31st entitles you to a free WiiU game, and if you haven’t yet purchased a WiiU and think now is the time, there’s no time like the present with the new Mario Kart 8 WiiU bundle.
Mario Kart 8 releases for the Nintendo WiiU on May 30th, but be sure to join up on May 24th to get in on all the fun early!
