Winterlude in Ottawa 2025: The Ultimate Itinerary
Have you heard about the incredible winter festival that takes place in Canada’s capital every year? If Winterlude is on your bucket list, keep reading!
Winter is not really my favourite season. I may be Canadian, but I am definitely NOT a fan of the cold! And while Hubby and the kids love the snow, I could easily do without.
However, when I heard about Winterlude in Ottawa, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. This awesome winter festival is family-friendly and has a variety of outdoor activities guaranteed to keep everyone interested.
And even I have to admit, it’s worth stepping out into the cold to experience! So, if you want to learn everything there is to know about Winterlude, we have got you covered.
What is Winterlude in Ottawa?
Winterlude is not only a celebration of Canadian winter fun but also of Canada’s rich artistic and cultural diversity.
It is a festival that transforms Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, into a winter wonderland during the first 3 weeks of February.
First introduced in 1979, the festival features some of the world’s greatest snow and ice sculptors, concerts and performances by some of Canada’s most talented artists, and a massive playground of ice slides, tube rides and sled tracks.
This is all topped off with the beautiful Rideau Canal transforming into one of the world’s longest skating rinks.
When is Winterlude in 2025?
In 2025, Winterlude will be held from January 31 to February 17, 2025.
❄️ Hotels for Winterlude Ottawa book up fast. Be sure to reserve your accommodations early!
Where are the Winterlude Venues?
Winterlude takes place over several areas in the city. The main venues are Parliament Hill, Confederation Park, Dow Lake area, ByWard Market, and of course, the Rideau Canal for skating.
But the biggest Winterlude venue is actually the Snowflake Kingdom, which can be found across the river in Gatineau, Quebec.
Is Winterlude in Ottawa free?
One of the best things about Winterlude is that almost all of the activities are family-friendly and free!
Some of the venues even offer hot coffee or hot chocolate for free as a way to chase the chills away!
How Do You Get to Winterlude in Ottawa?
Ottawa is located along the south bank of the Ottawa River, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario.
The city sits on the Quebec border, with the closest airport being Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Airport.
🚙 Need an easy way to get from the airport to your hotel? Book your Private Arrival Transfer from Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Airport here.
By Car
If you are travelling to Ottawa from Toronto, you would travel east on Highway 401, and then north on Highway 416.
The distance is 449 km and would take you approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes to make the drive.
🚗 Need to rent a car? Find the best prices for car rentals at DiscoverCars.
By Bus
For between $50 and $70 per person, you can take a bus from Toronto to Ottawa.
Various companies like Rider Express or Megabus Canada offer once-daily trips, where you do not need to worry about driving or traffic.
By Train
Sit back and relax when you hop on board a VIA Rail train from Toronto’s Union Station.
At a cost of approximately $100, and with service offered several times daily, getting from Toronto to Ottawa by train could not be easier.
🚆 Find the best prices for Rider Express or VIA Rail tickets here.
Getting Around Ottawa During Winterlude
Winterlude in Ottawa is a very walkable event. The venues located in downtown Ottawa are only a short distance apart, making it easy for families to move from one location to another.
The one exception is Jacques-Cartier Park, which is located across the river in Quebec. If you choose to drive, there is plenty of free parking.
Just be aware, the parking fills up fast and the road leading to Jacques-Cartier Park is closed daily during Winterlude. This can make navigating the area a little bit of a headache.
Our recommendation is to leave your car at the hotel and take the bus. Winterlude offers a complimentary Sno-Bus that easily shuttles people between the official sites of the festival.
The buses run pretty frequently and definitely take the stress of trying to find parking out of the equation.
And although there was a bit of a wait in line for the bus coming back from Jacques-Cartier Park, it wasn’t too bad.
How Many Days Do You Need to Experience Winterlude in Ottawa?
With everything there is to do at Winterlude in Ottawa, we recommend spending a long weekend there just to take it all in.
Two or three days will give you plenty of opportunities to hit all the venues, as well as give you time to skate on the Rideau, see the Parliament Buildings, or shop in the ByWard Market.
Things to Do at Winterlude in Ottawa
There are so many awesome things to do at Winterlude in Ottawa, that you will definitely not have the opportunity to be bored!
And since everything is family-friendly, letting the kids choose what they want to try first won’t be a problem!
1. Go Ice Skating on the Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal is Ontario’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, which makes skating the 7.8km (4.8 miles) stretch extra special.
The Skateway is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
And thanks to its universally accessible facilities like access ramps, heated change rooms, and washrooms, it’s one of the best places to go ice skating in Ontario for families.
Not to mention, all along the Skateway you can find food and drink kiosks, warming huts, as well as skate and accessory rentals.
As one of Canada’s most iconic skateways, this should definitely be on your family ice skating experience bucket list!
Skating on the canal is open from late January to early March, weather permitting of course, and is totally free!
During Winterlude, it gets a little busier, especially around the first half-kilometre stretch.
And if you have forgotten to bring your ice skates, you can rent a pair for $15-$20 right along the Skateway.
It took our family several hours to skate the full length of the trail and back.
We made sure to stop in the warming stations a couple of times to rest, as well as to enjoy some hot chocolate.
We would definitely recommend this experience. The ice was a little rough in places, but all the amenities certainly make up for it!
Because we started our skating adventure a little late in the day, by the time we got back, it was dark.
Something to keep in mind if you are planning to cover the full distance with kids.
2. Try a Beaver Tail
While you are out sightseeing (or skating on the Rideau), be sure to head over to Beaver Tails to sample an iconic Canadian treat!
The amazing smells wafting from the kiosk will be sure to pull you in!
First created in 1978, Beaver Tails are large, flat, deep-fried pastries.
Beaver Tails are normally served covered in cinnamon sugar.
But nowadays, there are approximately 120 different flavour combinations available (with chocolate hazelnut spread being the most popular)!
Fun Fact: 48.7 tons of chocolate hazelnut spread goes into making BeaverTails® each year! To put that in perspective, that’s the same weight as 70 moose!
If you have never tried one, what are you waiting for?!
Expect to pay about $7-10 CAD for one Beaver Tail, however, they are pretty big so two people could easily share one… but that’s IF you are actually willing to share!
3. Visit the ByWard Market
The ByWard Market is a large outdoor marketplace located in downtown Ottawa and just a few blocks from Confederation Park.
It is one of the best things to do in Ottawa with kids, no matter what time of the year you visit.
There are over 600 unique businesses located in the Market. You can find everything from shopping, dining, museums, arts, and entertainment, to professional services like hair and nail salons.
Of course, during Winterlude, the ByWard Market is best known for one thing: The Winterlude Stew Cook-Off!!
For about $10 per person, you can try as much stew as you can possibly eat, from a large selection of venues!
4. Watch the Dragon Boat Races on Dow Lake
Dragon Boat racing is a fun thing to watch on a normal day. But throw in a frozen lake, and the event becomes quite a spectacle!
The event attracts teams from all over the country. They trade in their traditional paddles for spiked sticks and race across the frozen Dow Lake.
It’s definitely fun for the whole family to watch!
5. Ice Skate on Parliament Hill
If skating on the Rideau seems a little daunting, or you are just looking for a different experience altogether, a huge ice skating rink is also available right in front of the Parliament buildings.
The Marion Dewar Plaza with its Rink of Dreams is an awesome family-friendly venue. The rink is free to skate on, but the sessions are timed.
As a result, you will need to make online reservations ahead of time. And just a heads up, the sessions book up really quickly.
This is especially true for the evening skates when the DJ is playing and everything is lit up!
6. Race a Bed
One of the most entertaining things to watch at Winterlude in Ottawa is the Bed Races! A 35+ years tradition, teams of 4 runners and 1 rider race beds across Dow Lake!
The beds – yup, the kind you sleep on – are modified (including the addition of wheels) and decorated, then dragged along the ice.
The team with the best decorated and fastest bed wins!
The best part of the event is that all funds raised go to a great cause. Both the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa as well as the Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation benefit from this fun event.
Crystal Gardens in Confederation Park
Located just down the road from the Parliament buildings, is Confederation Park.
During Winterlude, the park is home to Crystal Gardens, one of the main venues for the festival.
7. Marvel at the Ice Sculptures
Crystal Gardens is where you will find the annual ice sculpture competition.
This was where we watched some of the world’s greatest ice sculptors work their magic. It was incredible seeing them create amazing works of art from frozen blocks of ice.
The finished sculptures are displayed throughout the park and are absolutely incredible to look at. The details are astonishing!
We would definitely recommend returning to Crystal Gardens at night!
This is when the ice sculptures are beautifully illuminated by colourful lights. The result is pure magic!
8. Create A Colourful Piece of Ice Art
Crystal Gardens is not only full of masterfully created ice sculptures, however. It is also the place where kids can create their own works of art.
At one ice sculpture, our kids were given a bunch of colourful ice cubes.
They were then shown how to adhere the ice cubes to a giant block of ice, creating a fun and vibrant work of art.
Kids of all ages can participate in this hands-on activity.
9. Search for a Treasure in a Block of Ice
In another area of the Crystal Gardens, kids are shown how to mine for treasures in a large block of ice!
Our kids were each given a small hammer and chisel. They were then given the opportunity to chip away at a block of ice until their small treasure was released.
In our case, the kids found a couple of small, toy butterflies. But they had so much fun trying something new, that the toys were just icing on the cake.
10. Warm Up with Some Hot Chocolate
After spending some time in Crystal Gardens playing with ice, you may need to warm up with a steaming cup of hot chocolate!
Both in Confederation Park and Jacques-Cartier Park, you will find places that offer free hot chocolate or coffee to get you toasty warm for the next adventure!
Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park
Jacques-Cartier Park is located across the river from Ottawa, in Gatineau, Quebec. This is where you will find Snowflake Kingdom.
Snowflake Kingdom is the largest Winterlude venue, and the most family-friendly. Here, you will find a wide range of activities for kids, and for those who are only kids at heart!
11. Check out the Snow Sculptures
Where Crystal Gardens was filled with gorgeous sculptures of ice, Snowflake Kingdom is where massive snow sculptures can be found.
These huge mounds of snow have been carved into highly detailed works of art that will just blow your mind!
12. Watch an Acrobat Show
One of the main attractions at Snowflake Kingdom is the incredible acrobat show.
Here, a group of acrobats hurl themselves off the top of a structure, only to return to the top via a trampoline.
The show was just long enough to be entertaining, but not too long where kids start getting restless, or you start to get too cold standing still.
We thought that the show was pretty great to watch!
13. Learn How to Mush a Dogsled Team
One of the few things that you actually have to pay for during Winterlude in Ottawa, is the opportunity to learn how to mush a dog sled team.
Hop on board the sled, and enjoy the ride as experienced mushers take you for a quick spin around the course.
Not only is this a lot of fun for the kiddos, but definitely a pretty unique experience to have while still in the city!
14. Go Flying Down a Hill on a Snowtube
One of the most popular activities at Snowflake Kingdom is the enormous tubing hill. Our kids spent a couple of hours flying down the slopes.
Fully lit at night, this fantastic attraction provides giant tubes and icy slides for you to go zipping down as often as you want!
As an added bonus, the views of the Kingdom from the top of the hill are pretty amazing. That, and the climb to the top helps to warm you up!
15. Play in the Snow
Winterlude in Ottawa offers many opportunities for kids (and adults) to play in the snow.
Whether it’s posing in a snow cut-out, making snow angels in the play area, running through a snow maze, or just stopping to build a snowman, kids can take a break from the organized activities to just have fun in the snow!
16. Get Cozy By a Fire
No matter how warmly you dress, inevitably the cold Ottawa weather will sink into your bones!
When this happens, head to one of the many warming stations found throughout the venues.
You can choose to cozy up to a roaring fire at one of the many fire pits or head indoors at one of the warming chalets.
The warming chalets were set up with tables and chairs, perfect if you are looking for somewhere to have a quick snack.
Either way, you can take a break and warm up enough to be ready for that next Winterlude adventure.
17. Take a Break and Do Some Crafting
Winterlude organizers really have thought of everything.
While you are getting cozy in the warming huts, children have the opportunity to sit down and work on some crafts, or just do some colouring.
It’s a great place to catch your breath, relax for a few moments, and warm up, while not having to worry about the kids getting restless.
The warming huts even offer plenty of room to take off your coat, while sitting back to work on a craft.
I found it great to just take off my many outer layers for a short while, sit, and enjoy my coffee.
Where to Stay When Visiting Winterlude in Ottawa
For our stay in Ottawa, we chose the Fairmont Château Laurier.
Not only is the hotel affiliated with Winterlude, but it is right in the middle of the downtown area and within walking distance of several of the Winterlude venues.
If you have ever stayed at a Fairmont hotel, you know that they are absolutely amazing! And the Château Laurier is no different.
The hotel itself is gorgeous! High ceilings, beautiful architecture, and very friendly staff were the first things to greet us.
Parking is valet only and is an extra charge added to your bill.
Touted as the Winterlude Headquarters, we were easily able to get maps, directions and suggestions for all the activities we were interested in.
They even had colouring sheets and a photo booth area located in the lobby for a little family fun.
🏨 Book your stay at the Château Laurier here.
The rooms were well-appointed, with all the amenities we needed for the weekend.
Although breakfast was not included in our stay, there are several restaurants conveniently located right inside the hotel.
And when we travel with the kids, we always try and make sure that the hotels we stay in have a pool.
The pool at the Château Laurier is quite nice, with more than enough lounge chairs for parents to supervise along the sidelines.
❄️ Need some more hotel options? We have put together a curated list of the best hotels that are closest to the Winterlude Ottawa venues.
Where to Eat When Visiting Winterlude in Ottawa
Ottawa is a world-class city with many wonderful places to grab a bite.
Whether you want some quick take-out or a celebratory meal in a fancy restaurant, you will be able to find it downtown.
During our visit to Ottawa for Winterlude, we enjoyed trying a variety of food at the ByWard Market.
From sushi to soft-serve, and everything in between, you will love the sheer variety of things you can find for even the pickiest of eaters.
Zak’s Diner
One of our favourite places to eat breakfast (or even lunch) while in Ottawa, is Zak’s Diner.
Located in the ByWard Market, this family-friendly eatery is everything you imagine a classic diner to be.
Great food, reasonable prices, a family-friendly atmosphere, and great service combine to make this restaurant the perfect place to head to during your Winterlude adventure.
Wilfred’s
If you decide to stay at the Fairmont Château Laurier and don’t feel like venturing out after a long day in the cold, Wilfred’s is an excellent option.
A little more on the pricier side, this restaurant was a splurge during our trip to Winterlude.
We found the menu to be pretty varied, with each of us finding something that was appealing.
There is even the option of a 4-course Discovery Tasting Menu, which turned out to be a pretty fantastic option for adults!
How To Dress For Winterlude in Ottawa
Winterlude is an event that is held entirely outdoors. As a result, you will definitely want to dress for the cold Ottawa weather!
Since the weather can vary pretty drastically in February, you need to be ready for whatever Canada’s capital throws your way.
Daily averages are around -8⁰C (18⁰F), but it isn’t unheard of for winter temperatures to rise well above freezing, or to drop as low as -31⁰C (-8⁰F) with the wind chill.
So we have put together a list of essential items you will need to pack for Winterlude in Ottawa:
Winterlude FAQs
Winterlude was started by the National Capital Commission (NCC) in 1979 as a way to celebrate Canada’s unique northern culture and climate.
Inspired by how our ancestors would gather to enjoy each other’s company during the long winter months, Winterlude was created to continue that tradition.
Some of the most popular treats that you can find at Winterlude include Beaver Tails, maple taffy, maple lollipops, hot dogs, french fries, hot chocolate and hot soup from a variety of vendors. But let’s not forget that Stew from the Winterlude Stew Cook-off!
Final Thoughts on Experiencing Winterlude in Ottawa
Winterlude in Ottawa is an amazing way to celebrate winter in Canada.
With so many family-friendly things to do, free activities to take part in, and amazing sights to see, this should really be a bucket list item for everyone!
Have you been to Winterlude before? If so, we would love to hear what your favourite part was!
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