Confederation Park - ice carving

Final weekend of activities, plus Ontario Family Day, includes: hot fashions, cool science, comedy, theatre, cross-country ski races, marathon running, and winter wines & beers

The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to invite residents and visitors to take part in the third and final weekend of the 34th edition of Winterlude, the Capital Region’s winter celebration, which kicked-off on February 3 and ends on February 20. Here is an overview of some of the activities taking place during the final weekend of Winterlude.

Rogers Crystal Garden in Confederation Park

Calling all amateur carvers for the Rogers Public Ice-Carving Challenge! Members of the public will have an opportunity to create their own ice carvings with the help of professionals from the Canadian Ice Carvers’ Society on Saturday, February 18, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Interactive Public Vote Casting at 2:30 pm. (Registration is required, and participants must be at least 18 years of age.)

Festival-goers will learn the secrets of ice carving with demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday, February 18 and 19, at noon, 1 pm and 3 pm. Expert carvers will showcase carving techniques and how they use their tools to create a work of art from a block of ice.

On Sunday, Young Sculptors at Work will learn the basic techniques of ice carving with professional ice carvers. Tools and safety goggles will be provided, advance online registration is recommended. Sunday, 10:30 am to noon (ages 8 to 12); 1:30 pm to 3 pm (ages 13 to 17). Kids and adults are invited to make their mark on an Ice Graffiti Wall, using ice-carving tools.

Again this weekend, Confederation Park will be a popular evening destination during the Sub-Zero Music Series which will get the audience dancing and moving.

Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park, Gatineau

Presented by the Ville de Gatineau and the NCC, Snowflake Kingdom is North America’s biggest snow playground. It is the ideal destination for the young and the young at heart. This family friendly paradise features giant snow slides and an outdoor amphitheatre.

On Winterlude’s final weekend, visitors will have the chance to:

• find their way through the A-maze-ing Fort Wellington;
• learn about the life of the people who lived in 1812 through interpretation, demonstrations and games;
• take part in a day in the life of a Coast Guard employee;
• test their physical fitness in the Canadian Forces Winter Obstacle Course;
• experience downhill skiing with qualified instructors;
• feel the rhythm at the Snowflake Stage featuring talented performers and acrobatic stunts;
• visit the Adventure Zone, where they can try rock climbing, get an introduction and demonstrations of snowskating, and catch a lift in a tethered hot air balloon on Friday and Saturday.

The Ice Hog Family, Winterlude’s famous mascots, will be on-hand all weekend, including Ontario Family Day, to meet young and young at heart.

The Rideau Canal Skateway

Open for its 42^nd season on January 15, this fantastic 7.8-kilometre ice surface offers families and fun-seekers alike a wide variety of services including rest areas, food concessions, skate and sleigh rentals, skate sharpening, and boot check services.

This weekend, Winterlude visitors to the Skateway will have the opportunity to:

• discover Portraits on the Ice, an outdoor art gallery presented by Library and Archives Canada, which this season commemorates the War of 1812;
• see Fire Weavers and other talented acts at the WestJet Fun 'n Festival Zone;
• enjoy culinary demonstrations and sample creative Canadian dishes in the American Express Lounge at Fifth Avenue;
• learn how to stay safe on skates, and receive helmet information and skating tips at the State Farm Skate Safe tent;
• sign up for a free 45-minute Subway® Learn to Skate session;
• take in storytelling theatre, traditional dances, songs and hand drumming with Aboriginal Experiences at Pig Island;
• and much, much more!

Programming Partners

For the 34^th edition of Winterlude, more than 50 programming partners, from Ottawa and Gatineau’s private and public sectors, have come together to offer visitors a wide-range of indoor and outdoor activities aimed at animating the Capital like never before.

Here is a sampling of what takes place on weekend three of Winterlude:

• Ottawa Fashion Week;
• Eighth Annual Cracking-Up the Capital for Mental Health;
• Cool Science Saturday at the Canada Science and Technology Museum;
• the largest cross-country ski event in Canada: the Gatineau Loppet;
• Winterman Marathon and Marathon Relays;
• Winter Wines and Beers at Maison du Citoyen de Gatineau;
• free, all-night screenings at the National Gallery of Canada of Christian Marclay’s most ambitious video installation to date: The Clock;
• Downtown Rideau CHILL FACTOR including a Russian-inspired party at the Ottawa Art Gallery called “On the Rocks” and “POLYTECTURES”, a free winter sound walk that marries music and architecture;
• Les Charbonniers de l’enfer: Nouvelles fréquentations concert presented by the Ville de Gatineau;
• Prière de ne pas déranger theatre presented by the Ville de Gatineau;
• Commedia dell’arte: Elizabeth Wallfisch and Arion Baroque Orchestra;
• great games and Inuit doll-making at the Canadian Museum of Civilization;
• NAC English Theatre Family Day free activities;
• Snowshoe Into History at the Canadian War Museum;
• Design Your Own Timber Stamp at the Bytown Museum;
• Wintermuse at the Bank of Canada Currency Museum;
• the Friends of Gatineau Park celebrate Heritage Day and Snowshoe Under the Stars, or visitors can reserve through the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre for Animal Tracking on Snowshoes.

For more information about Winterlude, please contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 613-239-5090 (TTY), 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the NCC’s website at Winterlude.gc.ca.

Media Information:

Denise LeBlanc
NCC Media Relations
613-239-5750 (office)
613-851-9465 (cellular)
denise.leblanc@ncc-ccn.ca

Charles Cardinal
NCC Media Relations
613-239-5227 (office)
61-851-6924 (cellular)
charles.cardinal@ncc-ccn.ca