With the annual Jack Frost Winterfest cancelled this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, organizers are offering Charlottetown residents and visitors a different winter celebration they're calling Ice City.
The month-long festival, which runs until March 14, features ice sculptures, wooden art installations and wintery décor. Ice City has also engaged businesses across the city to host COVID-friendly events and other programming like fitness in the snow, snowshoe night walks, snowman building, sommelier tastings, sugar shacks at Next Door (Merchantman) and the Charlottetown Beer Garden, snoga, secret sledding hill and Sundaze on the Row (including firepits, a DJ and UFIT).
Each weekend will also feature signature events like comedy shows, live music, an outdoor market in the Queen Street Parkade and at the Confederation Court Mall and a murder mystery dinner theatre at The Delta Hotel.
“We’ve created a series of events that will bring families and friends together to enjoy the downtown and embrace winter in a safe way,” said Heidi Zinn, executive director of Discover Charlottetown.
“We’ve long been advocates for shoulder season development and we’re so excited to see Ice City take place at a time when industry needs it the most.”
Federal funding is supporting the project with a non-repayable contribution of $75,000 through ACOA's Innovative Communities Fund. Other funding will come from the provincial government, the city of Charlottetown, the Charlottetown Special Events Reserve Fund, the Hotel Association of P.E.I., Discover Charlottetown and Downtown Charlottetown Inc.
The volunteer organizing committee is made up of members of Capital City Events Inc. and includes the Hotel Association of P.E.I., Discover Charlottetown, Downtown Charlottetown Inc. and the City of Charlottetown.
The organizing committee has hired Whitecap Entertainment to organize the signature weekends, and Discover Charlottetown is working with the committee on marketing and organizing micro-events.
More schedule details will be released over the coming days at www.discovercharlottetown.com/icecity and the Ice City Festival page on Facebook.