Celebrating Winterlude

Ottawa and Gatineau has been celebrating Winterlude since 1979, with the goal to celebrate everything our Canadian winter has to offer. There are numerous activities spread out through the Capital region, at sites such as: Jacques- Cartier Park, Confederation Park, Rideau Canal Skateway, Marion Dewar Plaza.

The last time we went to Winterlude, must have been about 10 years ago with our son. This time, I decided to go, with the goal of creating a blog for our site. So on this mild Saturday night, I packed up my camera and headed Downtown.

SENS Rink of Dreams

I parked at the City Hall underground parking (114 Laurier Ave), for the great price of $1.50. This is the perfect spot to park!   You are literally 2 sec away from everything – the SENS Rink of Dreams, Confederation park (where all the ice sculptures are) and other fun activities aimed to please everyone. The Sens Rink of Dreams, is a skating rink funded by the Senators Foundation, Hockey Canada, City of Ottawa with assistance from their local partners,  as well as some constructions companies.

The minute I open the door of Ottawa City Hall to get to the celebration, I was hit with the sweet smell of Beaver Tails –  which I could not resist getting. For those that don’t know, this is not actually a Beavers tail, it is fried dough covered with various sugary topping. My first stop was the The SENS Rink of Dreams, which was filled with kids and parents having fun.

Confederation Park

I then crossed Laurier Street and headed to Confederation Park. As soon as I walk into the park I was greeted by the 150 amazing ice sculpture, symbolizing the 150^th Celebration of Canada. It was amazing to see how much details the sculptures had. The park had a good atmosphere, with music by DJ Carl Müren and the delicious aroma from the food trunks.

Winterlude is a great way to spend time with your family and friends. If you get the chance to go, we do hope that you share your favourite Winterlude activities with us.

To get detailed information of the different activities click here.