Winterlude is an annual festival in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec that celebrates winter.
Winterlude is run by Canada's National Capital Commission and was started in 1979. The event is one of Ottawa's most important tourist draws, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Winterlude is a very large festival of outdoor activities including public skating and skating displays, ice sculpture competitions, 60 miles (100km) of Rideau Canal skating through the gothic city, musical concerts, children's play areas, largest ice playground, an 'ice lounge', and numerous off-site events.
Other primary sites include the Snowflake Kingdom, which is located in Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau. This site is turned into a massive snow park with slides and structures, and many events and activities for children. It is the home away from home of the friendly IceHog family, the Winterlude Mascots.
Confederation Park, better known as Crystal Garden, is the site for the ice sculpture competition, the ice lounge and musical concerts. Dow's Lake also has a large skating area and hosts various activities.
The event lasts for three weekends, usually the first three weekends in February.
Phone: 613-239-5000 | 1-800-465-1867 | 613-239-5090 (TTY) | 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY)
website: info@ncc-ccn.ca
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