Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring

Winter is slowly coming to an end. It has had it's fair share of ups and downs. Injuries, new goals, adventures. Saying hello to new friends and goodbye to others.

For some, winter is a period of dormancy. Head indoors and survive until the return of the sun. For others, it is their time to shine. I am one of those people.

Edmonton claims to be a winter city, but that message doesn't always resonate with it's residents. As a festival city, our winters are actually quite busy. A few major events happen every winter including the Deep Freeze Byzantine Festival, Silver Skate Festival, and the Flying Canoe.

Flying Canoe takes place in the Mill Creek Ravine and surrounding neighbourhoods. It is a cultural festival with elements of First Nations, Metis, and French culture. There is storytelling, works of art, and family activities. It runs over the course of a few days and is tons of fun (as long as the weather co-operates).

The Silver Skate Festival is 50% sport, 50% culture, and 100% fun. This event takes place every winter in William Hawrelak Park in central Edmonton, close to the University of Alberta. There are cross-country ski races, skating races, snow sculptures, live storytelling, and even a snow screen for movie nights. Live music occurs in a large covered tent on-site. This event is quite popular and is being temporarily moved to Wilfrid Laurier Park while the construction in Hawrelak Park is occurring.

The Deep Freeze occurs in north Edmonton on 118th Avenue and is another cultural winter celebration, this time drawing upon Ukrainian, French Canadian, indigenous, French African, Latin American, and Asian cultures. Sit down and enjoy bannock, tea, and cultural education!

Keep these in mind for next winter!