In the Capital region, no one shies away from the outdoors just because the temperature nose-dives. We just slide into a warm parka, wrap a scarf around our neck, pull on a toque and party Canuck style at nine Winter Light festivals.
Winter Light 2011 is designed so visitors have so much fun they hardly notice the sub-zero weather. This massive undertaking takes over various Edmonton neighbourhoods and stretches from the first week of January through to March. It celebrates traditional winter sports and highlights some formidable local, national and international artistic talent.
"It's really about embracing winter, seeing the beauty around us and finding reasons to enjoy each others' talents. Come join us and gather around the fire," says Winter Light founder Pamela Anthony.
And there is something for everyone whether it's enjoying an outdoor mummer's play, revelling in ice sculptures, watching a torchlight parade, gasping at fireworks or just feeling nature's breeze on your face skating on a lake or playing street hockey.
Back in 2008 Anthony answered a design call by the City of Edmonton to develop a non-stop round of winter festivals.
"Edmonton is Festival City and to make Edmonton really jump we needed to create a winter of festivals," says Anthony, who adds the capital now produces about 30 to 40 festivals year round.
Winter Light kicked into high gear in 2009 collaborating with three existing festivals — Deep Freeze on 118th Avenue, Ice on Whyte and Silver Skate at Hawrelak Park.
Through the Arts Council, the City of Edmonton threw in $750,000 to produce six new festivals. Filling in the calendar was Flashpoint, a partnership with Edmonton Ski Club; Illuminations, a spectacular extravaganza in Churchill Square; Common Ground, a salute to aboriginal culture at Giovanni Caboto Park, Family Day in Churchill Square; Mill Creek Adventure Walk and Star Party at Elk Island National Park.
Because the calendar is jam-packed, we focus on January festivals:
Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival
Jan. 8 and 9
9210 – 118 Ave.
Deep Freeze is north Edmonton's winter festival epicentre. Produced by Arts on the Avenue, the festival is in its fourth year and grew from a group of artists having coffee at the Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse.
Festival producer Christy Morin brings back old favourites such as Olde Tyme Curling, Tom Fool's Ice and Snow Kingdom, a mummer's play, ice-skating and horse and wagon rides.
Today, the festival celebrates the Julian calendar with Byzantine food and entertainment followed in the evening by the warm rhythms of Le Fuzz and a taste of the Mediterranean.
And Sunday, French Canadian heritage sizzles with the music and dance of Allez Ouest. There's even a chance to enjoy delicious francophone tourtiÈre and sweet, sticky Cabane au sucre.
Check out street hockey, skating, ice sculptures. For a comprehensive, well organized list of activities visit www.deepfreeze.ca.
Ice on Whyte Festival
Jan. 13 to 23
85th Avenue and 104th Street
The eighth annual marquee Ice on Whyte Festival is not to be missed. This is the 25th anniversary of the twinning of Edmonton with Harbin, China and the 30th anniversary of the twinning of Alberta with the Heilongjiang province of China and there's a strong Asian flavour to the 11-day festivities.
"Because of the milestone year, we're bringing in nine amazing ice and snow carvers from Harbin," says producer Wanda Bornn, adding they will create a magical crystalline fantasy park.
Artists are now carving a massive 12-ft. dragon sculpted from two hard-packed walls of snow that form the reptile's sides. In between the two sides, open to the sky, is a 100-ft. ice slide unlike anything Edmonton has seen before, Bornn adds.
The carvers are also sculpting two ice pagodas, a Great Wall and a 30-ft. by 100-ft. children's play area filled with tunnels, mazes and two snow forts.
During the Ice Carving Competition from Jan. 13 to 15, the festival welcomes seven Canadian sculptors as well as carvers from the Netherlands, United States, Russia, Armenia and China.
"They are incredible. The hardest thing for people to wrap their heads around is that it can be done. People are amazed at the level of detail that can be put into an ice carving."
Festival hours are weekdays 2 to 10 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children.
Free parking is available weekdays only at the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market parking lot. However, due to road closures visitors are encouraged to board Edmonton Transit's free park and ride from NAIT Souch Campus, 7110 Gateway Blvd.
Flashpoint
Saturday, Jan. 22
Edmonton Ski Club
9613 - 96 Ave.
This year, the Edmonton Ski Club celebrates its 100th anniversary. Established in 1911 as an alpine ski jumping facility, it now specializes in trendier skiing and snowboarding. In celebration of the centenary, competitive alpine ski races will be hosted throughout the day.
But at 6:45 p.m. the razzle-dazzle of Flashpoint kicks in. Creative freestyle athletes strap on their skis and snowboards to take a run down Connors Hill while media artists try to capture the wildest shot. Action and creativity blend in a spectacular display of physicality and light projections. "You get out there and show how hot you are," Anthony says.
At 7:45 p.m., 100 club skiers form a Lantern Ski Parade gliding down the hill. "The skiers love this sort of creative interplay as part of the competitive competition. Hipsters like it. It's kind of rock and roll."
For more information visit www.edmontonskiclub.com.
Illuminations
Saturday, Jan. 29 from 4 to 10 p.m.
Churchill Square
The largest and most spectacular festival is Illuminations, with a special presentation by Toronto's Circus Orange. This theatrical hybrid specializes in creating large scale outdoor shows featuring circus stunts, dance, aerial acts, live music, fire and special effects.
It is the troupe's first Edmonton show and they're bringing Tricycle, a roaming spectacle based largely on European street theatre. It is loosely based on Foo, a tricycle pilot who tries to harness the power of fire.
"We built a tricycle because, initially, one of our biggest frustrations when we toured is the stage wouldn't work for us," says Circus Orange cofounder Tom Comet. "It was often too small. So we built a tricycle, our own roaming stage, and now the show follows the stage."
This one-hour interactive show passes right through the crowd and the stunning finale is a pyro-fuelled dance routine, a human-powered pyro wheel suspended about 60 feet in the air with full-scale fireworks taking place behind it.
Comet is bringing a skeleton cast and crew of about seven and will incorporate about a dozen local performers including stilt walker Randall Fraser, actor Jesse Gervais and four members of Vibe Tribe, to name a few.
Illuminations also includes the 26-member Illuminations Choir conducted by Jordan van Biert and a new performance installation with the Winter People, a visual movement tableau.
"I'm a cheerleader for Edmonton and I've lived here a long time," concludes Anthony. "Our winters may be dark, but this is about the light we create and the light we create in our spirits.
For detailed information on all festivals visit www.winterlight.ca.
