Hello from Ottawa – Confederation Park Celebrates Winterlude

Confederation Park is one of the main centers of Ottawa’s Winterlude Festival, and what was great for us was that we were staying right across the street at the Lord Elgin Hotel. So all we had to do was literally walk across the street and we were right in the heart of the action.

Winterlude is Ottawa’s winter festival, organized by the National Capital Commission. It brings together exciting events and activities for the whole family and most activities are free. Naturally, Winterlude is a big draw for tourists: last year the festival attracted an estimated 650,000 visitors.

One would think that Ottawa is a city of bureaucrats, who keep a stiff upper lip at all times. Far from it, as we had already seen during our Friday night Fat Tuesdays outing at ByWard Market, Ottawans know how to party and Winterlude is a 2-week excuse for everyone to get out and celebrate winter.

Winterlude is hosted throughout the city, so here’s a rundown of some of the top Winterlude locations:

Confederation Park is home to the Casino du Lac-Leamy Crystal Garden, an outdoor entertainment venue that includes the Crystal Lounge, a variety of food vendors, and outdoor sculptures.

When we left on Saturday morning, we walked straight into the ice carving competition where 7 or 8 ice carvers were working on frozen blocks of ice, using a variety of power and hand tools to shape the creatures of their imagination.

Chainsaws, power grinding tools, and hand chisels were used to slowly but surely create recognizable objects. Teddy bears, choo-choo trains and cartoon characters came to life before our eyes.

Confederation Park also hosts fire and ice cooking demonstrations, with top chefs and media personalities vying for Winterlude Ice Chef titles.

Another Winterlude venue just minutes away is the American Express Snowbowl, an arena located right across from the Government Conference Centre. This year’s lineup includes Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, Mes Aïeux, Jully Black, Doba Caracol, Daniel Lanois and many more.

On our way back from Darcy McGee’s on Saturday night, we walked to Confederation Park and then to the American Express Snowbowl and attended a small live concert. The stage was located in front of the National Conference Center and was beautifully lit in shades of orange, pink and purple and the crowd was enjoying the live music.

Rideau Canal Skateway is another official Winterlude location. Last weekend I had the opportunity to experience the Canal myself, and on a beautiful crisp winter day, it was a thrilling experience to glide almost weightlessly across the frozen expanse of the 7.8 km long Rideau Canal, from fact, the largest natural ice skating surface in the world. , according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Rideau Canal Skateway itself is home to a variety of activities – you can sample Aboriginal culture, traditions and cuisine at Pig Island Aboriginal Village. Canadian Tire’s JumpStart Activity Center on Fifth Avenue lets kids test their hockey skills and they can also try out the Jumpai trampoline system. Union Station on Rideau Street offers a 1920s vibe: the history of the rail yards along the Rideau River is told on displays and interpretive panels.

Last Saturday, the 26th annual Dow’s Lake Bed Race combined athletics, ingenious engineering and fundraising for a great day of charity and fun.

Another fundraising opportunity will come on February 19, 2006, when Canadian Tire invites you to participate in the Great Skate from 11 am to 3 pm at the Rideau Canal Skateway on Fifth Avenue. Proceeds will go to Canadian Tire JumpStart, a charitable program created by the Canadian Tire Foundation for Families that helps children in financial need participate in organized sports and recreational activities.

Across the Ottawa River in Hull, Quebec is Jacques-Cartier Park, the official location of Snowflake Kingdom and another official Winterlude site. It offers the Ice Hogs Winter Sports Adventure, individual slides of different slopes that will provide fun for the whole family.

Northern Place is a haven of snow and introduces the enchanting world of Aboriginal cultures with Aboriginal performances and traditional demonstrations. The Ice Hog Amphitheater is home to the Ice Hog’s Walkabout, and in case you didn’t know, the Ice Hogs are the official mascots of Winterlude. Kids can get a hug from one of their favorite pets: Mom, Dad, Noumi, and Nouma. Snowflake Kingdom also presents “Experience Maneige,” an opportunity for kids ages 5-8 to try downhill skiing.

And a restaurant festival precedes Winterlude. This year’s Taste of Winterlude took place from January 20 to February 2, 2006, where many popular restaurants in Ottawa-Gatineau served their specialties in an affordable prix fixe menu format. We missed out on the restaurant festival, but there was no shortage of good food for the last 2 days in Ottawa. Our enjoyable dinners at Fat Tuesdays and Darcy McGee’s gave us a taste of some of the culinary delights on offer in Ottawa.

Winterlude offers a wide variety of activities and luckily we had the opportunity to participate in a few last weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and look forward to returning to Ottawa for another festival, perhaps even the famous Tulip Festival next May…