Trying to encourage a walking group to come out in winter is hard, to be expected, but challenging no less. When I made Welcome Walks in July it was a common concern I heard from people, “what will you do in winter?”, well, go outside of course! Just because Edmonton has quite a harsh winter doesn’t mean you have to spend all 5 months cooped up inside in front of a TV. Sure, a little bit of hibernation is good for the mind and body, but some fresh air and daylight is always important, even in the chilly months. Now, believe it or not, I had no shortage of ideas of walks we could do in winter, and so today I will be sharing two of them with you- our festival walks.
Flying Canoë Volant Festival
Flying Canoë Volant is a festival occurring in the Mill Creek area and Edmonton’s nearby Francophone community. It covers the area between Mill Creek Ravine North and La Cité francophone, in total it can take a round trip of around 1 hour to walk. For our walk, we started at the Muttart Conservatory to ensure we could find parking and so our total trip was extended to over 2 hours with stops included. We also went on the opening night, a Wednesday, to ensure we didn’t lose each other in crowds. Actually, for most of us, myself included, it was our first time to go to this festival, so this post will reflect on our first impressions.
From Muttart it was about a 20 minute walk to get to the start of the festival in the creek. From that direction it was not sign posted, so if you didn’t have a map, you would certainly get lost as it was pitch black and off the beaten path (at that point covered in snow). Luckily, since I test all of my walks, I knew the way, however it was a good thing that this day had recurring members as it would’ve seemed rather sketchy to take people on this route, especially if it was their first time joining us. So, already I can say for future years, it would be better to approach the festival from the other side (the French quarter), which I learned was the route taken by everyone else.
However as we approached we could start to hear some music and see lights in the distance so we were able to turn off our phone flashlights, ending our camping-like excitement. What welcomed us was a beautiful light display and the warm sounds of music from a folk band. We were the first ones to approach the stage, but out of nowhere it appeared a couple other families arrived at the same time, and so the children happily anticipated a tune at the front. The band, surprised, changed up the rhythm to play a jig that the children could appreciate, and they happily danced along. At this warm reception, they turned up the music, which unfortunately was too loud for the little ears, and so they scattered, and we continued on our way. But truly, that was such a magical moment that cannot be easily recreated.
As we continued on our journey, we found a large tent that had a signpost showing a musician was to play there at that time, but alas he was nowhere to be found, and the volunteers did not know why. So we peeked inside, and continued on our journey, admiring the different sculptures along the way. Eventually, we climbed out of the ravine and proceeded to walk towards Rutherford School where 2 large domes had been set up. Inside each was a different sensory experience, one projected a 360 degree show on Indigenous history in the area, the other had a live DJ mixing up some faster party beats. Unfortunately it was too quiet in the Indigenous dome to hear the message, but the children enjoyed a quick boogie in the DJ dome.
Finally, we went to La Cité Francophone to enjoy the entertainment they had to offer there. On the Wednesday there were no shows or food trucks, but I know on the weekend they have both of those things. Instead, there was a line for maple taffy (around $5 a piece), an ice slide for the kids (a long line, but a hit nonetheless), and hot chocolate (also around $5) on sale inside the theatre. The ice slide was certainly the best part of this section, and the volunteers helped it run smoothly. They would probably benefit from building 2 or 3 next to each other, since the wait was long on a Wednesday, I imagine much longer on the weekend. I was also sad that there was no food for sale aside from the taffy and hot chocolate, which I think are very overpriced for what you get. The members in our group who went a second time after our walk on the Saturday since living close by, said it was crazy busy by comparison, so if that is your vibe you may prefer to go then, when there are more food options, and entertainment.
Overall, everyone in the group had a great time, it’s a great experience to go to a festival as a group and share these special memories together. On the way back we made several more stops, but everyone was satisfied and ready to enjoy some well deserved rest after all the excitement and exercise. I definitely recommend this for families, as the children especially enjoyed all the lights twinkling in the ravine, and you get to see their faces light up.
Silver Skate Festival
I had been to the Silver Skate festival once last year, but only to the ice rink in daylight, at which time it was below -20 degrees freezing. Back then, we all enjoyed a quick circle of the outdoor rink, before heading home. This year the temperature was much milder, we met before twilight to see the festival in both daylight and in dark. This festival is located in Sir Wilfred Laurier Park on the river, across from the Edmonton Valley Zoo where the parking is located. Originally I had planned to extend this walk into Buena Vista Park, but having learnt from my previous walk, I didn’t want to take people off the beaten path after twilight again! So instead, we endeavored to do 2 laps of the ring pathway that circles the park.
We began by admiring the snow sculptures upon entering the park as they’re the first attraction to greet you after parking. It was also one of the first nights, and so the sculptures were still in their early stages, but you could already make out what each one was going to be, and appreciate the intricate details and hard work that went into each one. I was particularly interested in one by a Welsh man, whom I had a brief chat with, as he was doing Celtic knots on a horse. Not only was this stunning, but it coincidentally (not intentionally) complimented the Year of The Horse for Lunar New Year 2026.
Close to the entrance they had a couple food trucks with no lines, which a couple members took advantage of for some warm food before setting off. We got much luckier with the weather this day, while there was a chill in the air, it was closer to -10 than -20 which was appreciated by all. It felt like there were less visually striking things to look at as we made our way around the park but there were several stops, such as an Indigenous section, and a trail with wizards. These actors interacted with us doing magic tricks and giving out side quests, which was quite amusing as a group to watch as members got picked out of the crowd. Moreover as it darkened, there were several lights that added a little bit of extra magic to our walk. The best part was walking past the snow sculptures several times, seeing progress each time.
We didn’t go ice skating this day, and it seemed to close quite early along with other events closer to 5pm. They had an effigy building and burning contest which was after 8pm. I did find the schedule of events a little bit randomly spaced apart, which would make it very difficult to get to appreciate and experience everything the festival has to offer in a single visit. Honestly this was a bit sad to me, as I know they also had a night time movie showing. Considering we were there for 2 hours, there wasn’t too much to do. We missed the chance to watch a Pow Wow, I believe the performances were also widely spaced apart. And we did not see any other live music. There is a dedicated kids section beyond the folk trail by the playground, it also seemed like something that may only preoccupy a child for 30 minutes or so.
Overall, I do really like this event and think you could spend 1-2 hours here, depending on the weather and the time you choose to go. That being said, I think they could fill the schedule a bit more, or put the various events closer together in time. I should also mention that we have a wheelchair user in our walking group who joined the Silver Skate festival, and it certainly was not designed with wheelchair users in mind. Although, both festivals are outside, and in the winter with the thick snow and ice, I can see how this proves a challenge.
I do recommend you visit both of these festivals if you haven’t and make your own judgment, there’s definitely fun to be had, and they return every year! I know there are several other winter festivals in the city such as the Byzantine Festival, yet I was disappointed to see they had moved location this year, so despite enjoying it when it was in Borden Park, I didn’t think it would be as good located on a short section of Alberta Ave (I may be wrong!). There are always so many things to see and do in this city of festivals, which one is your favourite?