Winterlude
| February 3, 2012 | to | February 20, 2012 |
Photo Credit: NCC/CCN
A flurry of fun in Canada’s Capital Region!
Come to Winterlude, where three fun-filled weekends of excitement and activity await the whole family! From glittering ice carvings and majestic snow sculptures to a gigantic snow playground and explosive shows under the winter sky, Winterlude is a great way to celebrate and enjoy the winter season. Experience the Rideau Canal – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest skating rink. All this and much more await you during Winterlude, the Capital’s winter celebration.
Festival Information:
General information:613-239-5000 ● 1-800-465-1867● 613-239-5090 (TTY) ● 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY)
General information email: info@ncc-ccn.ca
Location: Rideau Canal Skateway, Crystal Garden Confederation Park, Snowflake Kingdom Jacques-Cartier Park, Gatineau
On the Web:
Website: Winterlude
YouTube: CCN/NCC
Map:
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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.”
Let The Skating Begin – Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway Now Open
Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway (www.canadascapital.gc.ca/skateway) officially opened today and launched the 40th season of organized ice skating on the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink. A 4.3 km section of the 7.8 km Rideau Canal Skateway opened at 8:00 am this morning – from the National Arts Centre to Bank Street. The National Capital Commission ensures that the ice is at least a foot thick before it’s deemed safe to open to the public.
Skating on the Canal is one of the favourite things to do in Ottawa for visitors and residents alike – in fact, many residents skate to work or to school once the Canal is open. All along the Canal are services to make the skating experience more enjoyable – picnic tables, coffee, hot chocolate and of course BeaverTail kiosks. Bring your own skates or rent some at three locations along the Skateway.
The Canal will host young hockey players on January 30, 2010 as part of the programming for Hockey Day in Canada when all six Canadian NHL teams will play one another. The Canal is also the focal point for Ottawa’s annual Winterlude festival (www.winterlude.gc.ca) taking place February 5-21, 2010.
For Further Information:
Rideau Canal Skateway – (1-800-465-1867)
[Originally posted at Travel Video News]
Ottawa prepares for Winterlude festival
travelbite.co.uk
This winter the Canadian capital of Ottawa will be magically transformed into a winter wonderland as part of the annual Winterlude celebration, North America’s largest winter festival.
However, it is the UNESCO World Heritage listed Rideau Canal, in the heart of Ottawa, is the real highlight of Winterlude, freezing over to become the Rideau Canal Skateway.
For visitors, ice skates are available to rent so they can skate along the canal, being sure to stop at one of the many stands for a hot chocolate and a beavertail – a uniquely Canadian special pastry that originated in Ottawa, shaped like a beaver’s tail and topped with your choice of cinnamon and sugar, chocolate, maple syrup or many other tasty options.
Read more at Ottawa prepares for Winterlude festival
Gliding Through Ottawa’s Canal Zone
Gaston Lacombe, Special to The Washington Post
The uniqueness of the canal’s skateway lies not only in its impressive size but also in its centrality to Ottawa’s city life. During winter rush hours, commuters with briefcases in one hand and boots slung over their shoulder glide their way between home and downtown offices. Tourists, school groups and babysitters pushing strollers populate the ice all through the day. In the evenings, some kids slap hockey pucks around, and couples glide romantically. It serves as a highway, a park, a sports center and an entertainment complex.
Tourists have also discovered the canal’s remarkable winter attraction, where one can skate for hours without ever having to turn a corner. “Skating tourism” reaches its peak in Ottawa every year in February, as the Rideau Canal hosts Canada’s winter festival, Winterlude. This year, from Feb. 6 to 22, hundreds of thousands of visitors will don their blades for the celebration’s 30th edition, complete with concerts, races, ice sculptures and food.
Read more on the Washington Post website: Gliding Through Ottawa’s Canal Zone
