Scenes such as this will be a familiar sight on the Rideau Canal when Winterlude begins Feb. 4.
Snow and ice are not the only stars in this year’s Winterlude festival. For the 2011 carnival, the National Capital Commission is partnering with Parks Canada to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the federal institution.
The NCC will be assisting Parks Canada in celebrating the centennial year of its creation with different events showcasing Canadian parks, says Guy Laflamme, NCC vice-president of marketing and communications.
“(Parks Canada) was the very first entity of its kind in the entire world and we will have activities on the opening and during the entire length, entire duration, of Winterlude,” Laflamme says.
For Winterlude visitors, the Rideau Canal, a Parks Canada National Historic site, is only minutes away, but the opening performances will be in Gatineau at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Also as part of opening day festivities, the NCC will be screening excerpts from the National Parks Project outdoors at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Laflamme says.
In the spirit of the Group of Seven, these documentaries celebrate Canada’s wilderness and its impact on Canadian national identity.
The project is a collection of 13 short films made through collaborations between 50 of Canada’s filmmakers and musicians. It is presented by FilmCAN, Primitive Entertainment, Discovery Canada and Parks Canada.
Excerpts from these films will also be available for viewing on a snow screen set up in Jacques Cartier Park for the length of Winterlude, so there will many opportunities to catch a peek at the documentaries. There will also be special Parks Canada interpreters and storytellers on site in the Maison Charron to speak with visitors about the history of Parks Canada.
“We will have a large snow sculpture to commemorate the centennial, in Jacques Cartier Park,” Laflamme says. The Parks Canada-themed snow sculpture will be one of three at Jacques Cartier Park during this year’s Winterlude. In the past, there have been sculptures representing each province and territory but the NCC decided to remove them this year.
“In order to present all those new activities some more traditional ones had to be revisited,” Laflamme says.
Other notable partnerships include collaboration with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China for the Chinese New Year, which will bring ice carvers and lantern displays to Confederation Park, along with the Ottawa Chamber Music Society, which will be performing throughout the festival.
The society will offer a number of special presentations and performances throughout Winterlude, including The Snow Queen, taking place the final weekend at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Ties with the Canadian Museum of Civilization continue to tighten this year with kickoff events on Feb. 4. With free admission to the museum from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Winterlude revelers can enjoy various presentations at the Gatineau site including free Imax films.
“The best part of our role is to use the capital as a place where we can celebrate and provide more visibility for national commemoration,” Laflamme says.
As for the weather co-operating with Winterlude planners, Laflamme says the NCC is prepared for anything.
“With the challenges that we have with the weather every year, we had to develop a program which is more sustainable and less vulnerable to the fluctuating weather conditions,” he says.
But with a stretch of the Rideau Canal Skateway already open, it seems as though winter is co-operating Laflamme says, to bring a weather appropriate Winterlude to Ottawa.