Highlights of the Second Weekend of Winterlude

Discover or rediscover the many opportunities to say "I love MY Winterlude!"

OTTAWA, Feb. 8, 2018 /CNW/ - The celebrations for the 40^th edition of Winterlude continue, with many activities returning for the festival's second weekend.

Here's what visitors can expect from February 9 to 11. Get up to-the-minute notifications about changes or cancellations in our calendar of events, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Crystal Garden in Confederation Park: "Winter Fun! Timeless Memories!"

On Friday night, the eagerly anticipated show by country music star Aaron Prichett will get the temperature rising. All weekend long, Confederation Park will sparkle with beautiful sculptures and radiant smiles. Professional ice carvers will face off in the Ice Carving Championship and the Canadian Ice Carvers' Society's Ice Carving Tournament. On Saturday, the Sub-Zero Concert Series goes into disco mode with performances by the Boogie Wonder Band and DJ Abeille. Once again this weekend, visitors will have lots of fun winter activities to choose from:

• Enjoy the country sounds of Aaron Pritchett on Friday night, and dance to a disco beat on Saturday night with the Boogie Wonder Band and DJ Abeille, all part of the Sub-Zero Concert Series.
• Attend a show by children's entertainer Arthur L'Aventurier, Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on the Circle K Stage.
• Enjoy live family performances: Waste Works with CréaSon, a percussion-themed show featuring instruments made out of salvaged materials (bilingual); and Li'l Square Dance with folk music duo La Ridaine.
• On Sunday, take part in Fitness Morning with Le grand set carré (square dancing), followed by a dance performance by Culture Shock.
• Enjoy a free snack and hot chocolate at the Enbridge Cabin on Saturday evening.
• Learn the secrets of ice carving at a demonstration by the Canadian Ice-Carvers' Society.
• Admire some amazing ice carvings, including a sculpture recalling the days of horse racing on the frozen Rideau Canal in the early years of Winterlude.
• Attend live radio broadcasts of Ici Radio-Canada Première's Sur le vif (Friday from 3 to 6 p.m.) and On n'est pas sorti de l'auberge (Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.).
• Test your knowledge by taking Historica Canada's Trivia Challenge?watch for the quizmasters roaming around the site.
• Discover Inuit culture with Nunavut Sivuniksavut.
• Interact with Face, a monumental digital artwork.
• Enjoy cookies, hot chocolate and soup at the Circle K Ice Café, and cookies donated by Redpath Sugar.
• Warm up by the fire and listen to stories told by historical characters from the Bytown Museum.
• Help the Cactus Yarn Studio create the Giant Mitten by knitting with gigantic stitches, and see a monumental mitten taking shape before your eyes!

The party continues at Marion Dewar Plaza, right across the street from Confederation Park. Activities here include a concert of light music by the Regimental Band of the Governor General's Foot Guards; OLG All for Skating shows featuring figure skater and Olympic medallist Jeffrey Buttle, and music by DJ Rodrigo; and Parks Canada's photography exhibition Epic. Arctic. Sirmilik, showing the beauty and grandeur of Canada's North. On Sunday, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum presents "Pioneer Winter," the Canada Aviation and Space Museum encourages you to get "Airborne!" and the Ottawa Public Library invites you to board the Bookmobile.

Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park North, Gatineau: "Winter Pleasures"

Now located at the northern end of the park, at the end of Laurier Street in Gatineau, the Snowflake Kingdom has plenty of fun in store this weekend for visitors and families:

• Dance to the beat of the Baratanga percussion ensemble. Instruments will be available for the public to join the musical performance.
• Move to the rhythm of traditional music and a cappella arrangements performed by vocal ensemble Musique à bouches.
• Tune in to a broadcast by Radio Jeunesse, live from the Snowflake Kingdom and produced entirely by young people.
• Discover the magical world of shadow puppets at the Puppet House.
• Interact with Humanoid, a gigantic digital art projection, on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Try some new sports or some new moves with Drop in Sports.
• Learn about Indigenous history and culture while having fun in the Indigenous Village.
• Get a free introduction to downhill skiing (for ages 5 to 8).
• Visit the Kiddie Zone, where little tykes can run around to their hearts' delight!
• Speed down the hugely popular Super Slides at the Snowflake Kingdom (Tim Hortons Chinook, Iceberg and Glacier).
• Meet the Ice Hog family, Winterlude's lovable furry mascots.

Rideau Canal Skateway: Celebrating 48 seasons of skating!

The second edition of the Tim Hortons Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival will take place on Saturday at Dow's Lake. During this exciting race, dragon boats mounted on blades compete on the Rideau Canal Skateway. The crews use specially designed ice picks to propel the boats forward, and "paddle" to the rhythm of Chinese drumming. It's a unique winter sport experience!

Activities from the opening weekend will be back, including:

• Free Nokia Learn to Skate sessions.
• Hot drinks and a rest area at the OLG Sno-Bus Station, and live performances on the OLG Stage.
• The Pepsi Fun Zone, featuring an obstacle course and much more.

The Nokia Rest Area (at Concord Street) and the OLG Sno-Bus Station (at Fifth Avenue) will welcome skaters looking for a place to meet or take a break.

Winterlude Partners: More programming than ever!

This year, nearly 50 partners have come together to make Winterlude an even richer and more entertaining experience than ever. Here are some of the activities taking place over the February 9?11 weekend at various locations in Ottawa and Gatineau:

• ByWard Market's 27^th Annual Winterlude Stew Cook-Off ($) ? Friday
• Butterflies in Flight, a special exhibition presented by the Canadian Museum of Nature ($)
• 3^rd ByWard Market Server Games ? Saturday
• ByWard Blizzard Snow'Art snow sculpture exhibition and ByWard Blizzard Beats music in the ByWard Market
• Snowmania in the Glebe
• Celebration of Ottawa's winter history and Winterlude crafts at the Bytown Museum
• Cold, Hard Cash exhibition and demonstrations at the Bank of Canada Museum
• Winterlude in the Arctic at the Canadian War Museum
• Beat the Cold at the Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum ($)
• Sparkly Snow Coasters at the National Gallery of Canada ($)
• Sparks Street ice arcade
• Family roller skating at the Aberdeen Pavilion in Lansdowne Park ($)

Canadian Heritage is proud to present Winterlude with the support of the following official sponsors and site partners: OLG ? Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Circle K, Enbridge, Tim Hortons, Nokia, Pizza Pizza, Pepsi, Goodlife Fitness, Redpath, Ville de Gatineau, City of Ottawa, National Capital Commission, Fairmont Château Laurier, The Westin Ottawa, Lord Elgin, Aboriginal Experiences, Altitude Gym, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Canada, Ontario Snow Resorts Association, Association des stations de ski du Québec, Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, Royal Canadian Army Cadets, Canadian Ski Council, Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est, Delegation of the European Union to Canada, Drop in Sport, Ottawa Art Gallery, Historica Canada, Ice Dragon Boat Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Ottawa, Motivate Canada, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Parks Canada, Canadian Rangers, Zone3sports, Société de transport de l'Outaouais, OC Transpo, and many others, including members of the region's tourism industry.

Quotes

"It is with great excitement that Canada's Capital Region hosts the 40^th edition of Winterlude, a much-loved winter celebration. Visitors can enjoy a wide variety of wonderful activities that highlight our country's nature, climate and culture. Thank you to all the partners who are helping bring this year's celebrations to life. I invite everyone to join in the excitement."

?The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Related Products

Program for 40^th Winterlude 2018 Unveiled

40^th Winterlude Opening Weekend Highlights

Associated Links

Winterlude

Tim Hortons Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival

Canadian Ice Carvers' Society

SOURCE Canadian Heritage