Musicians prepare to brave the cold at Winterlude’s SubZero concert

By Meagan Casalino

Musicians are preparing for a unique Canadian experience this weekend in Ottawa.

Winterlude’s SubZero concert, hosted in Confederation Park, gives artists the chance to perform open-air in what are often bone-chilling temperatures — earning a badge of honour in the process, according to singer-songwriter Terra Lightfoot.

The Hamilton native said playing a concert outside in Ottawa on a cold Winterlude day is a must-do as a Canadian artist. She took to the stage at the first ever Sub-Zero concert in 2016.

“It was that biting cold,” recalled Lightfoot, who performed as temperatures dropped to -9C.

The following weekend, White Horse, a Canadian husband and wife singing duo, was unable to perform due to an extreme cold warning.

“As a Canadian person, I looked forward to that experience very much,” said Lightfoot. “To me, I treated it as a rite of passage — you know, because we’re comfortable in the cold. We came out feeling accomplished.”

This year’s lineup includes André-Philip Gagnon, Aaron Pritchett, Boogie Wonder Band, Francesco Yates along with many other Canadian artists. The concerts were scheduled for every Friday and Saturday during Winterlude from Feb. 2 to Feb. 17.

Although the Department of Canadian Heritage, which organizes the festival, doesn’t have a temperature threshold that’s considered too cold to perform, the City of Ottawa calls for frostbite warnings with any temperatures below -35C with the windchill.

Lightfoot said that even with heaters on stage, she still felt the bitter cold.

Lightfoot said she fondly remembers someone throwing mittens on stage during her performance, because she was playing guitar with her bare hands. Lightfoot said while the gloves were a nice gesture, she and other band members couldn’t use them because they would have restricted their hand movements.

“I remember not being able to feel my hands and that was tough — the string hurt.”

Bundling up for the cold isn’t the only winter preparation required for these events. Behind the scenes, technicians and set-up crews have to prepare for winter’s worst to stage the renowned events.

A festival spokesperson from Canadian Heritage said via email that regardless of snow, ice or rain, the concert venue is prepared for the most extreme weather conditions. Holding an outdoor concert requires planning for the safety of the artists, backstage crew and spectators, as well as Winterlude employees and volunteers.

Equipment is selected to withstand sudden temperature swings and extreme cold. Small details like the possibility of water pooling or heavy snowfall are taken into consideration for stage equipment and safety.

Infra-red heaters hang from the ceiling to keep musicians warm while playing.  Some heaters are even pointed specifically at the artist’s hands to provide heat while playing their instruments. The stage is positioned so that during the day, artists can be warmed up by the sun.

Lightfoot’s guitar needed a post-set tune up, but otherwise, she walked away unharmed from Ottawa’s cold winter.

Raihani Zineb, a third-year biomedical student at the University of Ottawa, said she wasn’t bothered by the cold when she attended a Sub Zero concert recently.

“We wanted to enjoy the festival, even in the cold weather.”

She remembers her face being frozen and red from the frigid temperatures, but said the experience was worth it. She said she looks forward to this year’s lineup no matter the weather.

“It’s always cold,” said Zined. “You need to enjoy your life.”

Lightfoot’s advice to this year’s performers is to move around as much as possible to stay warm. Warming up your fingers and body are just as important as your vocal chords, said Lightfoot.

Even in a deep freeze, Lightfoot said, the connection with the audience makes it all worthwhile.

“Everyone was maybe slightly uncomfortable and a little bit cold, and I think that made everyone feel a little bit warmer and cozier together. It was a real sense of collective effort instead of just playing for people. It was like we were all in it together.”

Full concert details can be found here.