| THE OTTAWA CITIZEN, Dec. 13, 2011 By: Alicja Siekierska OTTAWA — Feb. 3 will mark the start of Winterlude 2012, the 34th edition the city’s popular three-week long winter festival. The National Capital Commission unveiled new details about the annual winter extravaganza Tuesday, which will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 as well as the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Coast Guard. There will be various activities honouring the anniversaries throughout the festival. The NCC will work with more than 50 programming partners — more than ever before — to bring a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities to the event. NCC CEO Marie Lemay says the increase in partnerships will not only make for a “bigger and better” Winterlude, but it will also bring more community involvement. “We want the community to take ownership so it’s not just the NCC’s Winterlude,” says Lemay. “Community groups have really taken part in it, building it and taking ownership of it. So it’s everybody’s Winterlude.” One of the new partners is the Ottawa Jazz Festival, which will launch the first annual Winter Jazz Festival with a series of concerts Feb. 2 to 4, most at the NAC’s Fourth Stage. The Rideau Canal Skateway, Confederation Park in Ottawa and Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau will be the official Winterlude sites. Confederation Park will host Rogers Crystal Garden, where professional ice carvers from around the world will participate in the 25th annual ice carving competition. Jacques-Cartier Park will be transformed into the Snowflake Kingdom, the biggest snow playground in North America. |
The Rideau Canal will host many of Winterlude’s fan-favourite events, including the Triathlon, Accora Village Bed Races and the fourth annual Beaver Cup Pond Hockey Festival. Unique to the spot this year is Portraits on Ice, an exhibit of portraits of figures from the War of 1812, including British officers, First Nations allies and other militia and colonists.
Another new arts program is Echoes From the Past, an exhibit on the canal showcasing life as it was in the 1800s. The popular Cool Science Saturdays are returning to the Museum of Aviation and Space and to the Museum of Nature. Lemay says the current mild weather is not a worry, adding that the NCC is always prepared with contingency plans. “You’ll see this year with the increased amount of programming we have, there are so many offerings — both indoor and outdoor — so there will be lots for people to do, no matter what the weather is like.” Winterlude draws to a close on Feb. 20, Ontario’s Family Day. |
Winterlude 2012 will remember the War of 1812
