/tags/skating.rss en-us The annual Winterlude festival in Ottawa, Canada, is a celebration of all things cold, icy, and distinctly Canadian. With ice sculpting contests, snow slides, and of course, skating on the famous Rideau Canal, it’s a chilly way to embrace the coldest month of the year—a time when most of us would rather be bundled up indoors. The main hubs of the Winterlude festival are Confederation Park, Jacques-Cartier Park, and the Rideau Canal, all of which have tons of family-oriented activities. Confederation Park, at the head of the Rideau Canal, is home to the Crystal Garden, where an international ice-sculpting contest takes place. Throughout the Winterlude festival, incredible feats of ice sculpting are on display, and guests can even try their own skills with hands-on demonstrations. There is also live music and snack stands offering hot chocolate, apple cider, hot dogs, maple taffy, and Ottawa’s most famous treat: beaver tails (a fried dough pastry smothered in your choice of cinnamon, maple butter, chocolate, or garlic and cheese). Meanwhile, across the river in Gatineau, Jacques-Cartier Park is home to Snowflake Kingdom: the largest snow playground in North America. There are snow slides, snow sculptures, a bunny ski hill, horsedrawn sleigh rides, kicksled rides (essentially a chair on skis), and some years there’s a snow maze. But it’s the Rideau Canal Skateway that is probably the most iconic Winterlude spot. It is the world’s largest skating rink, stretching out at 7.8 kilometres (just under 5 miles) and running through the heart of downtown Ottawa. During the Winterlude festival, the Rideau Canal is home to art exhibits, skating demonstrations, hockey games, and an annual Bedzzz Bed Race (which is exactly what it sounds like—a race in which contestants wheel beds along the canal). The Skateway is also lined with snack kiosks offering the usual Winterlude treats, including those famous beaver tails. If all that time outside gets to be too much, many of Ottawa’s museums, such as the Science and Technology Museum, the Museum of Nature, and the Museum of Civilization, have special winter displays and special rates in honour of the festival. And of course, given that Ottawa is Canada’s capital city, you can visit some sites of the federal government, including Parliament Hill, the Royal Canadian Mint, the Prime Minister’s house on Sussex Drive, and the Governor General’s residence, Rideau Hall. Finally, when all that sightseeing and winter fun leave you hungry, visit one of the many Ottawa restaurants offering Taste of Winterlude menus. These restaurants have prix-fixe (fixed price) menus or special winter-themed dishes in honour of the festival. Tue, 07 Jun 2011 02:41:44 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/winterlude-festival-ottawa http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/winterlude-festival-ottawa For some nothing can be as dreary as a cold winter’s night, except in captivating Quebec where the city lives by three words, "Joie de Vivre!”, meaning "The joy of living!" The opportunity for a whole new way to experience winter in Quebec, Canada awaits you. Savvy travelers from around the world have noted that the winter wonderland reigns here! The foremost event of the year is the annual Winter Carnival. The festivities commence in late January through to early February, and have been a tradition since 1894. The Quebec Winter Carnival has garnered attention as a premier global celebration, rivaling the best of any Winter Carnival from around the globe, set amid one of most quaint and picturesque cities. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:54:41 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/winter-carnival http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/winter-carnival