EDMONTON – After some bone-chillingly cold temperatures over the past few weeks, the city warmed up just in time for one of Edmonton’s most unique winter festivals.
The seventh-annual Deep Freeze Winter Festival is being held on Alberta Avenue this weekend. The two-day festival is all about embracing the cold northern climate by celebrating the ‘Olde New Year.’
“We’ve got all kinds of things going on: ice sculptures, snow sculptures, music, food, street hockey. It’s just a whole big, long list of free family events,” said festival volunteer, Drew Rowbotham.
Other events include olde tyme curling, tobogganing, and deep freezer races, which is exactly what it sound like – a deep freeze on skis, pushed to a finish line.
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This year’s festival, themed ‘The Vikings are coming!,’ features local viking age historical re-enactment group Odin’s Ravens.
“(They’re) coming with authentic viking gear and they’ll be showing off everything they have to offer there,” Rowbotham said. “I think they’ve even got a set-up of a viking camp.”
The festival runs Saturday and Sunday and closes down four blocks of Alberta Avenue (118 Avenue) between 90 and 94 Streets.
On Saturday, festival staff will be serving up baked beans, tourtiere, bread pudding and sugar pie to celebrate Francophone Day; Sunday is Ukrainian Day.
“So it’s cabbage rolls, borscht, kielbasa and doughnuts,” Rowbotham said.
For more information, visit the Deep Freeze Festival’s website.