Winterlude is an annual

winter festival A winter festival, winter carnival, snow festival, or frost fair is an outdoor cold weather celebration that occurs in wintertime. Winter festivals are popular in D climates (see Köppen climate classification) where winter is particularly lon ...

held in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

(collectively known as the National Capital Region). Winterlude is run by the

Department of Canadian Heritage The Department of Canadian Heritage, or simply Canadian Heritage (), is the department of the Government of Canada that has roles and responsibilities related to initiatives that promote and support "Canadian identity and values, cultural develo ...

and was started in 1979. The event is one of Ottawa's most important tourist draws, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. In 2007, it set a new attendance record of estimated 1.6 million visits to one of the four Winterlude sites, and that record still stands as of 2024. BizBash has recognized Winterlude as one of the top 100 annual attractions in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Activities

Attractions

The focal point of Winterlude is the Rideau Canal Skateway which at 7.8 kilometres (approximately 5 miles) is the largest skating rink in the world. Another primary site is the Snowflake Kingdom, which is located in

Jacques-Cartier Park Jacques-Cartier Park is a park in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, along the Ottawa River. The park is more than 22.68 hectares large and is located at the base of the Alexandra Bridge, facing the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. It is named for Fr ...

in Gatineau. This site is turned into a massive "snow park" with ice slides and snow sculptures and also hosts numerous events and activities for children.

Confederation Park Confederation Park ''(French: Parc de la Confédération)'' is a public park and National Historic Site of Canada, located in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered on the south by Laurier Avenue and Ottawa City Hall; on t ...

, better known as Crystal Garden, is the site for the ice sculpture competition, the ice lounge and musical concerts. Marion Dewar Plaza at City Hall (across from Confederation Park) is the site of the Rink of Dreams, an ice-skating rink that hosts skating shows, DJ dance parties and interactive art displays throughout the Festival.

Dow's Lake Dow's Lake in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is a small man-made lake on the Rideau Canal, situated two kilometres north of Hog's Back Falls in the middle of Ottawa. It is at the southern end of Preston Street, just south of Carling Avenue, and just ...

also has a large skating area and hosts various activities. Related activities include special exhibits at numerous Ottawa museums, special events in the

ByWard Market The ByWard Market (), is a retail and entertainment district in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located east of the government and business district. The Market district includes the market buildings and open-air market alo ...

Sparks Street Sparks Street () is a pedestrian mall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was a main street in Ottawa that was converted into an outdoor pedestrian street in 1967, making it the earliest such street or mall in Canada.Gatineau Loppet The Gatineau Loppet, earlier known as Rivière Rouge, Gatineau 55 and Keskinada Loppet, is an international cross-country ski competition where close to 2,500 skiers of all ages and levels come together on the trails of Gatineau Park, in Gatineau, ...

, inaugurated in 1979, is an internationally recognized cross-country ski race that takes place in

Gatineau Park Gatineau Park () is a federal park located in the Outaouais, Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Administered by the National Capital Commission as part of the National Capital Region (Canada), National Capital Region, Gatineau Park is a wedge ...

. The event also holds

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

and

Fatbike A fatbike (also called fat bike, fat tire, fat-tire bike, or snow bike) is an off-road bicycle built to accommodate oversized tyres, typically or larger and rims or wider, designed for low ground pressure to allow riding on soft, unstable terra ...

races. Since 1984, the Winterlude Triathlon has also been part of the festival. The format and location of the

winter triathlon Winter triathlon is a Multisport race, multisport event involving the continuous and sequential completion of snowshoeing or running, mountain biking or speed skating and cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing, all on snow. Course distan ...

has changed frequently over the years. The race currently consists of a 8 km skate across the Rideau Canal, a 5 km run along

Colonel By Drive Colonel By Drive () is an long scenic parkway in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Route description The parkway runs along the Rideau Canal from the end of Sussex Drive (Ottawa), Sussex Drive at Rideau Street (Ottawa), Rideau Street. It then continu ...

, and a 6 km ski at

Mooney's Bay Park Mooney's Bay Park is a public park in Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on the Rideau River. Its main entrance is on Riverside Drive (Ottawa), Riverside Drive, opposite Ridgewood Avenue, but it can also be accessed from Hog's Back Road. Mooney's B ...

. Other race events include "bed racing" and "ice dragon boat" racing.

Duration

Winterlude spans three weekends, usually in February, and typically concludes on Family Day, which falls on a Monday. Between the first and second weekends, and the second and third weekends, there are very few events scheduled from Monday to Thursday. This results in a less crowded skating rink and pristine ice conditions, with only around a thousand skaters sharing it compared to larger numbers on weekends. Skate changing shacks and food catering kiosks along the skateway remain open during the weekdays. The weather in Ottawa is notoriously unpredictable, and Winterlude often is hampered by warm temperatures. Mild weather is the bane of the Canal, as proper ice conditions require -10 °C/14 °F for proper freezing. The length of the skating season (which often extends past Winterlude) is therefore unpredictable. However, most events are usually not affected other than premature melting of ice and snow sculptures. The average length to which the canal is open for skating is 50 days, but varies greatly. In the 2001–2002 season there was a (then) record low 34 days of skating. The very next season, 2002–2003, the canal was open for a near-record high 72 days. The longest skating season was 1971–1972, lasting 95 days. The shortest was 2015–2016, lasting just 18 days.

Gallery

File:CHAC ABEL Y BANDERA.jpg, Mexican ice sculptor

Abel Ramírez Águilar Abel Ramírez Águilar (22 May 1943 – 19 July 2021) was a List of Mexican artists, Mexican sculptor who won many prizes not only for traditional pieces in wood, stone and metal, but also for ice and snow sculptures in the United States, Canad ...

with his creation. File:Winterlude Ice Train.JPG,

ice sculptures lit nightly. File:Balnaphone2010 02 09 13 37 53.jpg, H2Orchestra performs outside

Canadian Museum of Civilization The Canadian Museum of History () is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of Canada, as well as support related res ...

. File:DowsLakeSkating.png, Skating at

. File:Winterlude Merlin.jpg, Stilt performance at

References

External links