Winterlude

Month : February
Place : Canada
Famous For : Winter Festival
Attractions : Adventure Sports, Ice Sculptures, Musical Concerts.

Winterlude is a popular winter celebration festival held in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebe in Canada. Also popular by the name of Bal de neige in France, the Winterlude is an annual festival run by Canada's National Capital Commission. The celebrations of this winter gala started in the year 1979. The event is one of Ottawa's most important tourist attractions and lasts for three weekends in the month of February.

Major Attractions

The main attractions of Winterlude are public skating and skating displays, ice sculpture competitions, musical concerts, children's play areas, an 'ice lounge', and numerous off-site events. All these outdoor activities make Winterlude a very large festival of adventurous outdoor activities. The main attraction of this festival is the Rideau Canal, which is cleared for ice skating displays and musical concerts. Other top highlights of Winterlude includes the Snowflake Kingdom, which is located in Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau. During the festival celebrations, the entire site is turned into a massive snow park with slides, structures and many exciting activities for children. It is the home away from home of the friendly IceHog family, the Winterlude Mascots. An ice sculpture competition, the ice lounge and musical concerts are also held at another site called Confederation Park. It's also famous by the name of Crystal Garden. Dow's Lake also has a large skating area and hosts various activities.