2014 Winterlude in Ottawa

Winterlude is a pretty well-known festival in Canada that celebrates winter.  The 36th annual event began this year on January 31 and will end on February 17.  I have been too busy to check it out extensively, but I took some time on Tuesday to check out some of the displays and ice sculptures, as well as this afternoon just to feel the atmosphere with so many people around.

The weather was really nice on Tuesday.


The symbolic BeaverTails.  I think it's way too expensive and not worth my money.

Since it was Tuesday afternoon, there were very few people around and I was able to wander around quite freely.  There were some relatively simple sculptures, and then there were ones that did not have any rectangular pieces in the sculpture (i.e., more difficult looking sculptures), such as below.

Dream of childhood, or something like that.


Reef Secrets


Even the welcome sign is made out of ice.


As you can see, not a whole lot of people.


$3 for taffy on snow!  It must be really good taffy.  All of the displays were empty or unattended on Tuesday.


There were other smaller sculptures.  This one won 3rd prize.


Coloured ice for kids to play with.


A group of sculptures was working on something massive.

Can't resist going to Parliament Hill and taking some photos of the Parliament Building.

Then here are today's photos.  People everywhere!!!

I tried to do some panning shots, but I didn't know the proper technique (but now I know).  This image is interesting because of the shoes-wearing pooch.

More people


More things happening.


Walking on this snow was like walking on sand.


People lining up to see the sculptures.  So glad I had already seen them.


Maple syrup boiling.  I did that already.

Girl in red attending the taffy booth.

A group of people singing in French.  Very homely feeling.

The massive ice sculpture I saw people working on on Tuesday was for the Veterans Affairs.

Two soldiers and a bus of soldiers waving good-bye to family members.

So, this is my experience of the 2014 Winterlude.  I need to go over to Gatineau in future years to experience it on the Quebec side.  I am heading back to BC this coming Friday for reading week, because I probably won't be going back home before/after the summer field season.