It turns out Canada isn't just fun in the fall! In winter, Canada's Ottawa Winterlude features not only the world's largest canal skating rink and breathtaking ice sculptures, but also a Snowflake Kingdom that's absolutely perfect for kids. Today, we're going to talk about this epic winter festival that will completely change your mind about Canada's "boring" winters!

Ottawa Winterlude is divided into a few main activities, primarily located in downtown Ottawa and Gatineau:

1. Rideau Canal Skateway (The world's largest skating rink!)
2. Sparks Street Ice Sculpture Exhibition (2020)
3. Snowflake Kingdom

These three main events are held in different locations. The map above shows the 2020 event locations as an example. For the exact locations and dates, always check the official website each year. There's also a free Sno-Bus shuttle service that runs specifically for the festival—you can find the pick-up/drop-off points and schedules on their official site too.

❄️ Rideau Canal Skateway: The World's Largest Skating Rink

Every year around early February, specific sections of Ottawa's Rideau Canal are opened up to the public for ice skating. Stretching from the canal next to the Fairmont Château Laurier all the way to Dow's Lake 7.8 kilometers away, it's officially the world's largest skating rink! Since it's entirely outdoors, officials open different sections depending on the daily weather and ice conditions. When we went a few days ago, the section by the Château Laurier wasn't open due to poor ice conditions (the photos here are from our 2019 trip).

The frozen river with arched bridges in the background, combined with the European-style castle hotel, creates an absolutely stunning winter scene. It's easily one of Ottawa's most famous views and a classic postcard image you'll see everywhere!

There's a starting point sign set up right on the canal next to the hotel.

And clear map signboards as well.

The map clearly marks all the facilities scattered along the entire 7.8-kilometer skating area~

And of course, they had to sneak in a little ad for the Snowflake Kingdom 😆

If you want to skate but don't have your own ice skates, you can rent them there, though you might have to wait in line for 30-40 minutes. Let us tell you, standing completely still in the freezing wind for that long is a huge mistake! The longer you stand, the more you feel the biting cold creeping up from the soles of your feet. Even wearing three layers of socks and proper snow boots, my toes were close to losing all sensation by the end of it… If you're someone prone to cold hands and feet, please be careful!

Equipment rentals require a minimum of two hours. For a two-hour session, ice skates are CAD$22, a sled is CAD$32, and a helmet is CAD$22.

By the time we actually got our hands on the skates, my toes were so numb I was genuinely terrified I might get frostbite!

But since we were already there, we absolutely had to unlock this life achievement (can skating on a frozen river count as a life achievement? XD). We reluctantly swapped into our skates, and I embarrassingly only managed to skate about 400 meters—okay, fine, 800 meters round trip 😆—before finally surrendering to my numb toes and calling it a day.

I have to say, Canadians' ice skating skills are just like their skiing skills: any random kid on the ice can just "whoosh" right past you looking incredibly cool 😆

Besides ice skating, you'll also see quite a few people pulling sleds along the canal.

After a freezing session of skating on the Rideau Canal, you absolutely have to treat yourself to one of Ottawa's famous BeaverTails! Or, try some maple taffy made fresh on the snow to experience a true local tradition and replenish all those burnt calories! Honestly, the first time we heard the name "BeaverTails," it sounded a bit terrifying. Can you eat a beaver's tail??? Do Canadians have some bizarre traditional diet we didn't know about?? It turns out, it's just delicious fried dough stretched into a long, oval beaver-tail shape, topped with whatever sweet spread you like!

In the summer, I personally love the sweet and sour lemon flavor because it's so refreshing. But in the dead of winter, because it's so incredibly cold, the rich and sweet hazelnut chocolate flavor hits the absolute perfect spot. It honestly tastes heavenly when you're freezing outside!

Aside from the famous BeaverTails, there are plenty of other food stalls dotted along the canal, making it super convenient to grab a bite! The weather was great the day we went, so it was completely packed with people. Skating on the world's largest rink with such gorgeous views is truly one of the most incredible things to do in Ottawa during the winter.

❄️ Ice Sculptures

This year in 2020, the ice carving competition sponsored by Tim Hortons was held in the Sparks Street pedestrian zone in downtown Ottawa.

The ice sculptures carved by representatives from different countries are truly works of art.

The level of detail on many of these sculptures leaves you wondering how they possibly managed to carve them!

Don't they all look so incredibly lifelike?

Pieces this large and thin must require unbelievable technique and skill to pull off!

Beyond the competition pieces, there were also various ice sculptures from different organizations scattered along the street. When we saw this mammoth, we almost thought we had stumbled into the premiere of Ice Age 😆

Turns out, there was an introduction sign for the Canadian Museum of Nature standing right next to it. (Oops~ not Ice Age then 😜)

Naturally, the main sponsor Tim Hortons couldn't be left out! Their giant takeout cup ice sculpture, hundreds of times bigger than the real thing, was surprisingly adorable!

We also spotted lots of these ice benches along the way, draped with a piece of animal pelt to keep your bottom warm. Yes, you can actually sit on them!

Compared to last year (2019), this year's event seemed much richer, featuring a lot more interactive installations.

Pulling the middle handle back and forth makes the inner images roll, creating a super cool animated visual effect as the patterns piece together.

There was a whole row of sound-activated lights. If you shout at one end, the rings of light illuminate all the way to the other side at the speed of sound—so fun!

This particular art installation was really unique. Every time you walked through one of the U-shaped arches, it would emit a different sound. The installation was designed to represent a unique Canadian instrument called an "iceberg."

Kids could even try their hand at ice carving on the spot!

There were various performances, including traditional Canadian Indigenous dances.

As well as a very Canadian-style slapstick mime show featuring a bear chasing people~~

Even with the freezing weather, there was a massive crowd gathered to watch!

And of course, the adorable Winterlude mascots wouldn't miss this for the world!

The maple syrup taffy we mentioned earlier is definitely one of those traditional Canadian experiences you have to try when visiting in winter!

The organizers thoughtfully set up an inflatable "igloo" where people could go inside to warm up~~~

The map above shows the layout of the site, detailing all the stalls and exhibits along Sparks Street. The street was practically overflowing with activities—food, drinks, performances, and awe-inspiring ice sculptures. It is definitely worth a visit!

❄️ Snowflake Kingdom

As far as we know, both the 2019 and 2020 Snowflake Kingdoms were held at Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau. Here, you absolutely cannot miss the spectacular giant snow sculptures (these photos are from 2019).

In addition to the massive ones, there were also several smaller snow sculptures scattered nearby (photos from 2019).

And this queue stretching for hundreds of meters? That’s for the ultimate kid-favorite: the giant Tube Sliding!

You get to sit in a giant snow tube and slide down from the very top of that massive hill. It’s basically heaven for kids!!

Behind the snow slides, you can even catch a glimpse of Ottawa's famous landmark right across the river—Parliament Hill.

The lines were so long that some people just brought their own sleds and had a blast sliding down the smaller hills nearby!

Every year, the organizers hilariously carve out these funny human-shaped cutouts in the snow walls!

This one was absolutely hilarious!

We have to admit, the Snowflake Kingdom is 100% the perfect place to tire out the little ones. They even set up some great play structures nearby for kids.

Naturally, the Winterlude mascots made an appearance here too!

Just like on Sparks Street, the Snowflake Kingdom featured Indigenous music performances.

The Snowflake Kingdom isn't just fantastic for kids; it's also highly worth it for adults to go and marvel at the colossal snow sculptures! There are so many activities to pack into the Winterlude festival. If you push yourself, you could probably cover all three main areas in a single day (assuming you skip the massive queues for the tube sliding at the Snowflake Kingdom). However, you really need to base your plans on the weather. Ottawa in January and February frequently drops to a freezing -10°C to -20°C! Being outside continuously for 2-3 hours in those temps is incredibly exhausting, so you have to schedule breaks to grab food and warm up. We highly recommend spreading the festival out over two or even three days for a more relaxed trip! And definitely try to pick the "warmer" days to visit, otherwise, you'll be so cold you'll just want to hide indoors all day…

To sum it up, Winterlude is an absolutely phenomenal festival for truly experiencing a Canadian winter. It's packed with activities you can only find in a snowy country—skating on a canal, admiring ice and snow sculptures, plunging down snow tube slides, and more. On top of all that, the organizers do an incredible job of weaving Canadian culture and traditions into every little detail. All of this comes together to create this one-of-a-kind Winterlude in Canada's capital, Ottawa. It’s genuinely amazing, and we can't recommend it enough!

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