Get ready for some frosty fun at one of these wonderful Edmonton Winter Festivals! Edmonton is called Canada’s Festival City, and for good reason. While our winters can be tough, these festivals help make the season much more enjoyable!
Chiseled Ice Carving Competition
January 15-17 | Check out the beautiful carved ice sculptures at the Chiseled International Ice Carving Competition by Activate Arts Alberta! Visit the ICE District from January 15 to 17, 2026, to watch five Canadian teams create their sculptures. If you miss the live carving, you can still see the finished pieces on display until January 27, weather permitting. For more information, click here.
Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Fête
January 17-18 | Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival returns to the Alberta Avenue District January 17 & 18, 2026, with an “Olde New Year” theme! Enjoy the coming together of Ukrainian, French Canadian, Franco-African, Indigenous, Latin American, and Asian cultures with light installations, ice sculptures, cultural stories, bannock by the fire, artistic workshops, street hockey, and the famous Deep Freezer races! For more information, click here.
Flying Canoë Volant
January 28-31 | Inspired by the legend of The Flying Canoe, the Flying Canoë Volant is a creative and interactive cultural event that celebrates French Canadian, First Nations, and Métis traditions. This year, the festival will take place from January 28 to 31, 2026, in three different locations. Walk the colourful illuminated trails in Millcreek Ravine, enjoy games, entertainment, and activities in Edmonton’s French Quarter, and check out the canoe races at the Ecole Rutherford School. For more information, click here.
Silver Skate Festival
February 6-16 | Celebrating its 36th year, the Silver Skate Festival is Edmonton’s longest-running outdoor winter festival! Celebrate your love of the outdoors with snow sculptures, live music, folk stories, and more. Don’t miss the free fun in the Recreation Zone, the impressive snow and fire sculptures, fantastical tales along the Folk Trail, or skating on the outdoor rink! For more information, click here.
International Festival of Winter Cinema
February 6-15 | Pack some chairs and popcorn, and enjoy watching some short films by local Albertan filmmakers projected onto a giant “snow screen” in Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park! This free event is happening in conjunction with the Silver Skate Festival. For more information, click here.
Sweet Treats & Latte Festival
February 12-22 | The Sweet Treats & Latte Festival is returning to Old Strathcona this winter to help you warm up and support our local coffee scene! Beginning Thursday, February 12, 2026, you can enjoy featured baked goodies and lattes from various coffee shops, bakeries, and restaurants across the neighbourhood, plus fun contests with great prizes. There are even dog-friendly treats, so no family members feel left out! For more information, click here.
Climb YEG Ice Fest
February 26 – March 1 | Head to the urban ice climbing wall at Louise McKinney Park on February 26 – March 1, 2026, for the Climb YEG Ice Fest! Come cheer on the world championship competitors and take part in fun winter recreation activities like ice climbing clinics, fat biking, ice block pulls, ice games, live entertainment, a vendor village, and more! For more information, click here.
Leduc County Winter Try It Festival
February 7 | Bundle up and head out to Wizard Lake for Leduc County’s annual Winter Try It Festival. Try a variety of winter sports and activities, including skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, curling, broomball, and ice fishing, plus enjoy free maple taffy, hot dogs, hot chocolate, coffee, sleigh rides, live music, and more! For more information, click here.
