Winterlude is almost here! February 3rd kicks off nearly three fun filled weeks, and you can expect this year will be extra special because of Canada’s 150th birthday. Fortunately for organizers, it looks like they won’t have to deal with melting ice sculptures (like last year) – because it is seriously chilly outside right now! I’m just hoping it’s not too frigid for all of Winterlude, so we can get out there with our little kids and not have them complaining of frostbite after five minutes.

Winterlude Kick-Off Party and Opening Weekend

Friday, February 3rd is the Winterlude Kick-Off party at Confederation Park. You can enjoy the dozens of beautiful ice sculptures and vote on your favourite, while taking in live music and an outdoor dance party with a carnival-style “Dare to Dream” theme. It’s a free event, and all ages are welcome but I would say it seems aimed at families with older kids.

Saturday, February 4 starts off with the 13th Annual Enbridge Free Pancake Breakfast at Marion Dewar Plaza. The event runs from 10:00 am – noon. It’s a popular event – in past years, there has been more than 9,000 pancakes, 340 litres of hot chocolate and 48 litres of maple syrup served during this two-hour event.

The Crystal Garden

The Crystal Garden is at Confederation Park, right along the Rideau Canal. Ice carvers from around the world are hard at work turning blocks of ice into stunning works of art. At night, special lighting turns ice-carving masterpieces into a lovely sight.

The Crystal Garden has a number of food and beverage options and it is a great place to take your family. I recommend grabbing a hot chocolate and maybe a beavertail and just enjoying the beautiful creations. The competition and voting only takes place on the opening weekend, but the garden is open to visit all Winterlude long.

Snowflake Kingdom

The Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau is truly the place to be for families. You will find snow slides, snow sculptures, a maze, mega zipline, dogsledding, shows and more, at this huge winter playground. It’s great for all ages, and in the past there has always been a little snow play area specifically for young kids.

Children aged 5-8 years old can also try downhill skiing for FREE with a qualified instructor from 9am to 4pm.

All of the activities at Jacques-Cartier Park are open Mondays to Thursdays from 9am to 4pm, Friday & Saturdays from 9am to 9pm and Sundays from 9am to 6pm (closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

The Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal is the heart of Winterlude. My first winter in Ottawa was the longest, consecutive stretch that the canal was open for skating. Last year, was one of the shortest. Hopefully this year will offer skaters plenty of opportunity to get out on the ice.

My kids are still a little too young to skate the canal themselves (my back can’t handle trying to hold them up), so I will be doing what I have done in previous years and renting one of those lovely red sleighs! It also totally works to take a stroller or a chariot out on the ice too.

You can rent skates and sleighs at a few points on the canal. When the whole stretch of the canal is open I usually park down at Dow’s Lake and rent one of the sleighs from there. My kids (and I) love making a pit stop for hot chocolate and a beavertail during the skate.

You may want to note: FREE Learn to Skate 45 minute sessions will be offered every Saturday & Sunday from 11am to 4pm on the Rideau Canal Skateway, Fifth Avenue.

For more information on the Rideau Canal, such as skate conditions and where to rent skates check out Rideau Canal Skateway website

A Few More Winterlude Highlights

There are a few special events taking place during Winterlude that your family may want to make note of:

• February 11 is the 37th Annual Accora Village Bed Race. In this beloved event, costumed teams race decorated hospital beds across the frozen ice. This event takes place at Dow’s Lake and the race runs from 1:00pm -2:30 pm. It is a lot of fun to watch and you’ll want to bring your camera!
• February 11 is the CrackUp Snowmania Challenge – this fun event takes place at TD Place Stadium from 11:00am-1:00 pm. It’s a Guinness World Record snowman building event. You can register as an individual, a team, or join an existing team to take part. This year the goal is to build 3000 snowmen. Money raised goes to local agencies that focus on mental health. To register check out the website for Snowmania
• February 11 is also the City of Ottawa Family Rollerskating Event – happening at the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne from 5:00-7:00 pm. And a second session from 8:00-10:00 pm. This sounds like a ton of fun, and such a throw-back! Rollerskating inside the huge Aberdeen pavilion should be a blast. For more info on tickets and skate rentals check out the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/464810426976408/
• February 17-18 is the Ice Dragon Boat Festival. This is new for 2017 and it should be fabulous to see dragon boats racing down the frozen Rideau Canal. Athletes are coming from all over North America to take part in this one of a kind event, which will take place on Dow’s Lake. On the 17th there will be practices and demonstrations, but Saturday the 18th is when all of the races happen. There is a Chinese Dragon Dance just after 10 am, and the racing begins at 11:15 am.

Winterlude Has So Many Options!

There really is so much to see and do at Winterlude. So I recommend just watching the weather report and picking a day that will work best for you. Most of the events run on the weekend, but if you can make it to skate or hit up the Snowflake Kingdom during the week, you will have better luck with crowds. For a full list of events visit the official Winterlude website.