Every Family Day weekend, Edmonton delivers a winter festival that blends two of nature’s most exciting elements — fire and ice.
Right now and until Monday, Feb. 21, the Silver Skate Festival unfolds at Hawrelak Park, a favoured river valley playground that has become a year-round community magnet.
While many other northern cities grumble out how to pass the winter months, Capital region inhabitants ignore the cold and revel in the outdoors during this four-day family event.
Rooted in the Dutch tradition of celebrating the outdoors, the festival has evolved into an extravaganza of arts, culture, sports and recreational activities — both under the sun and the stars.
Entering its 21st year, it is the longest running winter festival in Edmonton and has developed a pedigree that attracts visitors from surrounding towns and cities. This year the festival has expanded to a fourth day (Monday) and organizers are anticipating an attendance of about 40,000 visitors.
“We wanted to increase the programming and it follows the City of Edmonton’s mandate to give more priority to winter festivals,” says assistant producer Erin Di Loreto.
Festival programming brings together a whirlwind of free events and activities that include the epic ice slide, competitive snow sculpting, figure skating demonstrations, roving performers and horse-drawn sleigh rides.
For the competitive at heart there is a winter triathlon, a skating marathon and the Kortebaan, a traditional Dutch speed skating sprint on outdoor ice that uses a knockout system with a sudden death final.
New this year is a visit from the Northern Alberta Mushers Association providing dog sled and skijoring demonstrations. Skijoring is a winter sport where a person on cross-country skis is pulled by a dog.
“We’re hoping they’ll be quite popular with families.”
Greeting visitors at the Hawrelak Park entrance are three monumental sculptures fashioned by ice carvers from Quebec and the Netherlands. Returning champions Brian McArthur and Dawn Detarando from Red Deer have carved a giant snow head.
“It’s on its side with one eye open. He’ll be winking at you as you go in the park,” laughs Di Loreto.
After sunset, Night Works kicks into overdrive with a huge 16-ft. by 22-ft. snow screen that reflects a multi-media extravaganza of films, light spectacles and live performances.
Multi-instrumentalists Wool on Wolves, roots artist Colleen Brown, professional improviser Donovan Workun and Atomic Improv, electronica trio Neko Rei, percussionists Viajante and storyteller Leo Letendre are just some of the live performances billed for the snowy stage.
And the mesmerizing Vibe Tribe, blending belly dancing and Gypsy music, heat up the evening with their hypnotic fire dances and swordplay. “They’ll be bringing fires to the sculptures.”
Flaming up the evening is the much anticipated Art Burn and Fire in the Belly. In Art Burn, six artists, including St. Albert Children’s Theatre costume and set designer Marissa Kochanski, create sculptures made from combustible materials and set them ablaze on Saturday night.
And in Fire in the Belly, a larger communal work will be created and ignited in a blaze of heat and glory on Sunday night.
“It’s winter. It’s February. It’s been long. Let’s get out and embrace it. You can rent out long blade skates, cross-country skis and snowshoes. It’s not heavy on the pocketbook, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for the family to get together.”
There is limited parking at Hawrelak Park. Edmonton Transit is providing free shuttle service from the University Transit Centre and the Butterdome.
From St. Albert, take route 203 direct to the university on Saturday. On Sunday and Monday, hop onto the 201 to downtown Edmonton and transfer on the LRT to the university.
For a complete list of scheduled events go online to www.silverskatefestival.org.
