Winterlude visitors like it cold and snowy: Thousands descend on Snow Kingdom to enjoy slippery slides and sweet treats
Katia Dmitrieva, The Ottawa Citizen
Winterlude is a veritable rite of passage for Ottawans and creates fond memories for years to come.
But what if the white playground of ice sculptures, snowy slides, and the winding Rideau Canal Skateway were a little bit greener?
Festival organizers are finding it more difficult each year to maintain the winter wonderland as climate change takes its hold over the season.
“Winterlude in Ottawa is all about having the snow, the slides, and the ice sculptures,” said Adam Mullins, who spent the day with nine family members, including his wife, Cara, and two children. “If that would change, it would take away from the tradition.”
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Winterlude visitors like it cold and snowy
Thousands came to the opening weekend of Winterlude, taking in skating, ice sculpting, sledding and more. Residents and visitors alike had a hoot on the icy hills in the Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau.
Photo Courtesy of Julie Oliver, The Ottawa Citizen
Skate Safe and wear your helmet during Winterlude
Source: Press Release
The City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission (NCC) and State Farm®, sponsor of the Skate Safe program, have teamed up once again to make an Ottawa winter tradition more fun for everyone through the Skate Safe program. The Skate Safe tent officially opened on Saturday morning on the Rideau Canal Skateway at the State Farm Zone at Concord.
Visitors to the Skate Safe tent will get assistance with helmet fittings, tips on helmet use and a free 15-minute “tips and tricks” skating session from staff and volunteers from Ottawa Public Health (OPH), Ottawa’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department and ThinkFirst. The tent will be open Saturdays and Sundays during Winterlude, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., until February 20.
Winterlude Weekend 1 Highlights: Capital Region’s winter celebration set to kick off with skating, sliding, ice carvings and the American Express® Winterlude Opening
The National Capital Commission (NCC) is ready to welcome residents and visitors for the 34th edition of Winterlude, which starts Friday, February 3, 2012. Over three weeks, until February 20, Canada’s Capital Region will be the ideal destination to discover Canadian winter traditions through a wide variety of cultural, sport, culinary and family activities.
Here is a snapshot of the activities taking place during the first weekend of Winterlude.
American Express® Winterlude Opening
Friday, February 3, Canadian Museum of Civilization
The celebration officially kicks off with the American Express® Winterlude Opening at 8:30 pm at the Canadian Museum of Civilization on February 3rd. The program will feature special lighting effects, historical characters and drummers, storytelling around cozy fire pits, an outdoor DJ dance party, and, at 9 pm, a fireworks extravaganza.
Visitors can take advantage of free admission on February 3, from 5 pm to 11 pm, to explore the museum’s many exhibits and enjoy special programming.
The event will also be celebrated at Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park, which will remain open until 9:30 pm, offering another perfect vantage point to enjoy the evening’s fireworks.
Rogers Crystal Garden in Confederation Park
“Northern Passion” carved in ice
This weekend, there are plenty of chances to watch ice carvers from around the world create their crystalline masterpieces at Confederation Park. These include the Rogers One-Block Challenge on Friday, February 3 from 8 am to 10 am (Awards Ceremony: 5 pm), and the 25th Rogers International Ice-Carving Competition, where professional carvers from around the world put their talent to the test throughout the weekend (People’s Choice Online Voting Contest starts Sunday, February 5 at 6 pm).
On opening weekend, visitors to Rogers Crystal Garden will also have the opportunity to:
- visit an authentic Sami Lavvu from northern Norway;
- discover BlizzArt, an outdoor gallery featuring unique Canadian work of art;
- meet artists from northern Canada and see them perform in the Rogers Crystal Globe;
- groove to the tunes of the Sub-Zero Music Series;
- celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in ice and photos;
- learn about ephemeral art and create their own sculpture;
- experience the Yukon through the eyes of talented artists;
- find out more about the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, and his expedition through the Northwest Passage.
The public can start off their first Winterlude weekend with a delicious (and free!) pancake and hot chocolate breakfast at 10 am on Saturday, February 4, during the Eighth Annual Enbridge Pancake Breakfast (Festival Plaza at Ottawa City Hall, across from Confederation Park). While supplies last.
Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park, Gatineau
Let the adventure begin — with the Ice Hog Family!
Presented by the Ville de Gatineau and the NCC, young and the young at heart alike will enjoy playing in this frosty paradise of giant snow slides. The fun begins on Friday, February 3, at 10:30 am, when Mama and Papa Ice Hog, and twins Noumi and Nouma, join the crowd for the official launch of Snowflake Kingdom – North America’s biggest snow playground.
On Winterlude’s first weekend, visitors will have the chance to:
- find their way through the A-maze-ing Fort Wellington;
- learn about the life of the people who lived in 1812 through interpretation, demonstrations and games;
- take part in a day in the life of a Coast Guard employee;
- test their physical fitness in the Canadian Forces Winter Obstacle Course;
- experience downhill skiing with qualified instructors;
- feel the rhythm at the Snowflake Stage featuring talented performers and acrobatic stunts;
- celebrate Yukon Days with performances and snow sculptures;
- visit the Adventure Zone, where they can try Jumpaï trampolines, rock climbing and catch a lift in a tethered hot air balloon (Feb. 3).
The Rideau Canal Skateway
Celebrating 42 seasons of skating
Each winter, the NCC transforms the Rideau Canal into the world’s largest skating rink, which was officially recognized as such in 2005 by Guinness World Records™. The Rideau Canal Skateway is centre stage for many activities during Winterlude. For the celebration’s opening weekend, the world-famous ice surface will host the 29th Annual Winterlude Triathlon and the 32nd Annual Accora Village Bed Race which take place at Dows Lake this Saturday. In addition to pioneer activities and crafts that take place this weekend at Bronson Avenue with the Canada Agriculture Museum, throughout Winterlude visitors to the Skateway will have the opportunity to:
- discover Portraits on the Ice, an outdoor art gallery presented by Library and Archives Canada, which this season commemorates the War of 1812;
- see Fire Weavers and other talented acts at the WestJet Fun ‘n Festival Zone;
- enjoy culinary demonstrations and sample creative Canadian dishes in the American Express Lounge at Fifth Avenue;
- sign up for a free 45-minute Subway® Learn to Skate session;
- take in storytelling theatre, traditional dances, songs and hand drumming with Aboriginal Experiences at Pig Island;
- and much, much more!
Programming Partners
Truly making Winterlude the Capital Region’s winter celebration
For the 34th edition of Winterlude, more than 50 programming partners, from Ottawa and Gatineau’s private and public sectors, have come together to offer visitors a wide-range of indoor and outdoor activities aimed at animating the Capital like never before. Here is just a sampling of what takes place on the first weekend of Winterlude:
- 21st Annual ByWard Market Stew Cook-Off;
- the first annual Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival;
- Cool Science Saturday at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum;
- Northern Lights 2012: Northern Lights Business and Cultural Showcase;
- Ottawa Theatres Present Paul Brandt at Centrepointe Theatre;
- CARTE BLANCHE with Jean-Claude Marcus and Samuel Boivin-Provost presented by the Ville de Gatineau;
- The Mighty Popo: Gakondo is presented by the Ville de Gatineau;
- Downtown Rideau CHILL FACTOR.
For more information about Winterlude, please contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 613-239-5090 (TTY), 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the NCC’s website at Winterlude.gc.ca.
Rideau Canal Skateway likely to open mid-January
Dan Neutel, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — With the expected return of cold weather Tuesday, the National Capital Commission is predicting the Rideau Canal will be open for skating by mid-month.
“We’re still on target,” said Jasmine Leduc of NCC media relations. “On average the Rideau Canal Skateway opens in the first half of January, weather permitting.”
This will be the 42nd skating season on the canal.
“Last year the skating season opened on Jan. 8, and it closed on March 6,” says Leduc. “Visitors enjoyed 53 days of skating through a 58 day skating season. And it included a beautiful stretch of 40 consecutive days with near ideal skating conditions.
“On average over the past five years, the Rideau Canal Skateway offered 45 skating days during a season that lasted on average 50 days,” says Leduc.
The key to good ice is cold weather with no snow. Snow acts as a thermal blanket preventing the ice from thickening.
“We’re hoping that the mild weather this past weekend had very little impact on the ice,” said Leduc. “We’re hoping that the cold weather will return shortly and that we’ll be able to resume our flooding operations.”
Winterlude 2012 will remember the War of 1812
Alicja Siekierska, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — Feb. 3 will mark the start of Winterlude 2012, the 34th edition the city’s popular three-week long winter festival.
The National Capital Commission unveiled new details about the annual winter extravaganza Tuesday, which will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 as well as the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Coast Guard. There will be various activities honouring the anniversaries throughout the festival.
The NCC will work with more than 50 programming partners — more than ever before — to bring a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities to the event.
NCC CEO Marie Lemay says the increase in partnerships will not only make for a “bigger and better” Winterlude, but it will also bring more community involvement.
“We want the community to take ownership so it’s not just the NCC’s Winterlude,” says Lemay. “Community groups have really taken part in it, building it and taking ownership of it. So it’s everybody’s Winterlude.”
One of the new partners is the Ottawa Jazz Festival, which will launch the first annual Winter Jazz Festival with a series of concerts Feb. 2 to 4, most at the NAC’s Fourth Stage.
Read more on the Ottawa Citizen website: Winterlude 2012 will remember the War of 1812
Winterlude 2012: More partners, more to discover
Skating, sliding, musical fireworks, culinary experiences and much more
[Source: NCC press release]
Canada’s Capital Region — The National Capital Commission (NCC) today unveiled the line-up of events for the 34th edition of Winterlude and the 42nd season of the Rideau Canal Skateway, the world’s largest skating rink.
The Capital’s winter celebration, will be held from February 3 to 20, 2012, and feature an array of memorable activities where the outdoors, winter sports, Canada’s diverse cultures, winter traditions and culinary arts will be at the forefront.
“For the 34th edition of Winterlude, more partners than ever have come together to offer residents and visitors the opportunity to rekindle their appreciation of Canadian winter traditions, our diversity and our artistic and scientific achievements,” explains Marie Lemay, NCC Chief Executive Officer. “The iconic Rideau Canal Skateway, the world’s largest skating rink, will be at the heart of the Capital Region’s winter celebration”.
Ms. Lemay was accompanied by Jim Watson, Mayor of the City of Ottawa; Marc Bureau, Mayor of Ville de Gatineau; and Wendy Hall, Vice-President of Account Development, Global Corporate Payments with American Express, at a news conference held today at the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa.
NHL unveils Ottawa All-Star weekend festivities
CBC News
The Rideau Canal skateway will be host to a five-kilometre charity skate, a procession of NHL trophies and a junior skills competition on the week Ottawa hosts the NHL All-Star game.
NHL and the Ottawa Senators announced the events Friday as part of the festivities for the 59th annual National Hockey League All-Star Game at ScotiaBank Place on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 4 p.m.
The events begin Thursday, Jan. 26 with a 2:30 p.m. skate down the canal with all the NHL Trophies, including the Stanley Cup, Hart Memorial Trophy and Vezina Trophy.
Casino du Lac-Leamy will also hold an All-Star Fantasy draft that night from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Read more on the CBC News website: NHL unveils Ottawa All-Star weekend festivities
Winterlude is just around the corner!
Let’s Go Ottawa
The snow has started to fall in Ottawa and thoughts are turning to Christmas, the holidays and the whole winter season!
This winter marks the 42nd season of organized ice skating on the frozen Rideau Canal Skateway. The Canal snakes 7.8 km (4.8 miles) through downtown Ottawa— kids skate to school, people skate to work! It’s the equivalent in size to 90 Olympic-sized ice rinks, giving it the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink.
It takes several consecutive days of -15° Celsius (-5° Fahrenheit) or colder temperatures to ensure that the ice is at least a foot thick. That’s when the National Capital Commission deems it safe enough to open to the public — usually in late December or early January.
Read m0re on the Let’s Go Ottawa blog: Winterlude is just around the corner!
Skateway ‘shacks’ go upscale
New $750,000 shelters in place along Rideau Canal
OTTAWA — At $750,000 apiece, the new shelters on the Rideau Canal Skateway may cost the same as a house, but they’re not built like one.
For starters, the skateway receives up to a million local and international visitors a year. The structures are designed to be welcoming, durable and in keeping with their high public profile.
“That’s a hefty price tag but it’s not surprising,” said Carleton University architecture professor Yvan Cazabon. “Structurally they’re more involved than your average little shack. It has to be hoisted. There’s a lot of custom building. It’s not a Home Depot kit of parts.”
The National Capital Commission has installed seven new chalets — four change rooms and three washrooms — to replace battered wood structures used since the 1970s.
The total cost was $5.24-million, or about $750,000 per shelter. The project was paid for by the federal government’s $4-billion infrastructure stimulus fund, created to fight the recession.
Calling Young Photographers From Across Canada
NCC invites young Canadians to create photography with an environmental theme for exhibit on the world’s largest skating rink
[Source: NCC press release]
Canada’s Capital Region ─ The National Capital Commission (NCC) invites young photographers from across Canada to create and submit original photographic works of art for exhibit this winter in Dows Gallery, on the Rideau Canal Skateway.
Dows Gallery is an outdoor space in Canada’s Capital where young people can express themselves through art. This winter’s exhibit, Eco Art will feature photographic artwork with an environmental theme. During the 2012 skating season, Eco Art will display 40 works of art, in large scale format, to hundreds of thousands of skaters on the Rideau Canal Skateway, as well as to virtual visitors in an online gallery. In the summer of 2012, a selection of the winning photos will also be featured in an outdoor exhibit during the Capital’s busy festival season.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Who: Canadian residents 14 to 24 years old
What: Creative, exciting, original photography, on the theme of the environment
How: To enter the contest, participants must have a Flickr account. This is free, and can be obtained at www.flickr.com. Participants must then submit their photograph to the Eco Art Éco photo group on Flickr, and include a statement of 25 words or less, in English or French, about the message of their photograph. Full details at www.canadascapital.gc.ca/eco-art.
*** The deadline to submit artwork is October 31, 2011. ***
NEW THIS YEAR ─ PRIZES TO BE WON!
The top three winning photos will each win a prize of valuable photography equipment, courtesy of Henry’s Canada:
Jury’s Choice Award Approximate value: $1,800.00
People’s Choice Award Approximate value: $1,100.00
Henry’s Choice Award Approximate value: $1,100.00
