The 49th Winterlude runs over three weekends from January 29 to February 15, 2027. We do not have the 2027 program yet, so here is what we know and what happened last year.
When is Winterlude 2027?
Winterlude 2027 runs from Friday, January 29 to Monday, February 15, 2027 in Ottawa and Gatineau. It is the 49th year of the winter festival and will be held over three weekends by Canadian Heritage. It will end on Ontario's Family Day. Admission to the official sites is free, and some events will have a cost. In French it is called Bal de Neige.
We do not have the 2027 schedule, hours, sites or shuttle routes yet. Last year the program was released on January 14, 2026, for a festival held from January 30 to February 16. Check back on the official Canadian Heritage page in January. See our Ottawa events page for more dates through the year.
Where Winterlude happens: last year's sites
In 2026 there were two official sites: Confederation Park in downtown Ottawa, which is home to Crystal Garden, and Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau, which is home to Snowflake Kingdom in the northern section of the park. There were also events listed on the calendar on Sparks Street, in the ByWard Market, at Marion Dewar Place and elsewhere in Ottawa and Gatineau. We do not know if Crystal Garden will be back in 2027.
Crystal Garden returned to Confederation Park in 2026 for the first time since 2018. It featured the Winterlude Ice-Carving Exhibition presented by Tim Hortons, the Ryan Hill Ice-Carving Public Challenge and Lantern Grove, a light installation presented by Ottawa Tourism.
Jacques-Cartier Park featured the Tim Hortons Chinook Super Slide, a free lit-up Ferris wheel and the first Nordic Race on February 8 by Nomades du Parc. There were also free Afterslide Evenings for teens on February 6 and 7 from 6-10 pm.
Is Winterlude free? Hours and on-site services
The official practical information page says: "Admission to the sites is free." Many events are free and some have a cost. If an event has a cost it will say "Paid event" on the calendar. We do not have pricing for 2027 yet.
Last year Crystal Garden was open Fridays 4-9 pm, Saturdays 10 am-9 pm and Sundays and Family Day 10 am-6 pm. It was closed Monday to Thursday. Snowflake Kingdom opened at 9 am most days. It was open 9 am-2 pm on the two Thursdays and opened at 4 pm on the first day (Friday). Use these hours as a guide until we have the 2027 hours.
Both official sites had first aid and lost children services. There were also universally accessible portable toilets. Snowflake Kingdom is on natural and packed snow, so it can be difficult to access depending on the weather. There were lost and found boxes at the information kiosks at both sites. For unclaimed items, the Volunteer Centre number was 819-956-2626. The Ottawa Visitor Centre is located at 54 Elgin St and is open 9 am-5 pm daily, tel. 613-236-0044.
Skating the Rideau Canal Skateway
The Skateway is 7.8 km long and free to skate on. It is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week when the ice is open. The season usually runs from January to early March, depending on the weather. The NCC calls it the world's largest skating rink, and the Rideau Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Skateway was not one of the two official Winterlude sites in 2026. However, Confederation Park is close by. The NCC has not released an opening date for the 2026-27 season. Before you go, check the ice conditions page, which is linked on the NCC Skateway page, or NCC social media. The same page also has a rentals section if you need skates, sleighs or skate sharpening. See our outdoors guide for more winter options.
Getting there: Sno-Bus, parking and street closures
The Sno-Bus was a free shuttle in 2026. The Blue circuit went from Robert-Guertin parking on St-Rédempteur St to the main entrance of Jacques-Cartier Park on Laurier St. The Red circuit linked Jacques-Cartier Park and the ByWard Market via Confederation Park (Sparks at Elgin stop). It ran on weekends from 10 am-5:30 pm and on Family Day from 10 am-3 pm. There was also a Rideau Hall circuit on Saturday, February 7 only. STO routes 31 and 67 were free on weekends near Jacques-Cartier Park. Some of the shuttles were wheelchair accessible. The OC Transpo information line is 613-560-5000. We do not have the 2027 routes yet.
Paid parking listed by the organizers includes the NAC, Rideau Centre, World Exchange Plaza, Ottawa City Hall and other City of Ottawa lots. There were no street closures in Ottawa in 2026. In Gatineau, Laurier, Dussault, Notre-Dame-de-l'Île, Champlain and Marston streets were closed to cars from 9 am-6 pm on weekends and Family Day. Parts of Laurier and Dussault were also closed from 9-11 am and 1-3 pm on the open weekdays.
Top-rated cafes, desserts and hotels near the sites
We rank places only by a formula that we publish, using public Google Maps ratings and number of reviews. Data was pulled on 2026-10-29. Within about 1 km of Confederation Park, the top-ranked coffee shops are Opulence Coffee (#3, 261 Dalhousie St, 4.9 with 841 reviews), MCC (#19, 200 Laurier Ave W, 4.8 with 212 reviews), Dimo's Cafe (#26, 18 Murray St, 4.8 with 153 reviews) and The Ministry of Coffee (#51, 141 Laurier Ave W, 4.7 with 171 reviews). For dessert, Super Crunch Tanghulu (#4, CF Rideau, 4.9 with 904 reviews) and En Chimnies (#11, 117 Bank St, 4.8 with 969 reviews) are close by. Near Jacques-Cartier Park, Maison Du Café Happy Goat (#76, 133 Rue Notre-Dame-de-l'Île, Gatineau, 4.6 with 220 reviews) is on our coffee list.
If you want a room within walking distance, ByWard Blue Inn (#2, 157 Clarence St, 4.5 with 1,324 reviews), reStays Luxury Boutique Hotel (#4, 101 Queen St, 4.5 with 503 reviews) and Lord Elgin Hotel (#6, 100 Elgin St, 4.3 with 3,612 reviews) rank on our hotels list. The Lord Elgin was also on the official Winterlude hotel list for 2026, as well as Fairmont Château Laurier, Alt Hotel Ottawa Downtown, Le Germain, Ottawa Marriott, The Metcalfe, Cartier Place, Best Western Plus Gatineau-Ottawa Downtown and Four Points by Sheraton Gatineau-Ottawa.
Past Winterlude editions: a short history
Winterlude was created by the NCC in 1979 as a week-long event. It is held in Ottawa-Gatineau every February. It started as a one-day winter event in 1978 with a bed race. It now averages over 500,000 visitors a year and has the help of 600 volunteers and many partners.
Key years: 1984 brought the first international competition with 400 Dutch skaters. Attendance reached approximately 1.2 million in 1991 and a record of approximately 1.6 million in 2007. In 1993 the festival built the tallest snowman in Canada at over 16 m. In 1994 it changed from a 10-day event to three weekends. The NCC held its last Winterlude in 2013, and Canadian Heritage has held it since. New sites were added in 2019 in the ByWard Market, Sparks Street, Downtown Rideau and the Glebe. In 2021 it was virtual due to COVID-19.
The Ice Hogs are the mascots: Papa, Mama and their kids Noumi and Nouma. ByTowne Bert was the 1978 creature. Ice Hog was the 1979 mascot and the ancestor of the Ice Hog family we know today. See our things to do in Ottawa page for more ideas through the winter.
Questions and answers
What is Winterlude in Canada?
Winterlude (Bal de Neige in French) is a winter festival that has taken place in Ottawa-Gatineau every February since 1979. It is run by Canadian Heritage, and admission to the sites is free. It averages over 500,000 visitors each year.
Is Ottawa Winterlude free?
Yes. Admission to the sites is free. Many events are free and some have a cost. It will say "Paid event" on the official calendar if there is a cost.
When is Winterlude in Ottawa?
Winterlude 2027 runs from January 29 to February 15, 2027, over three weekends. We do not have the detailed 2027 schedule yet. Last year it was released on January 14.
When does Winterlude end?
Winterlude 2027 ends on Monday, February 15, 2027, which is Family Day in Ontario.
What is the Winterlude mascot?
Papa, Mama and their kids Noumi and Nouma are called the Ice Hog family. According to their official story, Papa Ice Hog first came to the area through a secret passage under the Rideau Canal in the 1970s.
Sources
- Winterlude (Canadian Heritage). Checked .
- Bal de Neige (Patrimoine canadien). Checked .
- Winterlude 2026 programming has been unveiled. Checked .
- About Winterlude. Checked .
- Winterlude over the years. Checked .
- Winterlude calendar of events. Checked .
- Winterlude practical information. Checked .
- Sno-Bus. Checked .
- Street closures. Checked .
- Hotels and restaurants. Checked .
- Rideau Canal Skateway (NCC). Checked .
- Winterlude (Ottawa Tourism). Checked .
- fromOttawa place data (coffee shops, desserts, hotels). Checked .