The annual winter festival in Quebec City is a big draw for tourists, so much so that I heeded the call of Bruno Marchand to come to the city to see it for myself. There’s more about the history online that I know, but it’s got something to do with warming up spirits during the cold weather – ha. The festival’s mascot is a snowman called Bonhomme, a generic French term for a figure – haha. I’d rather they make the big dragon head thing their mascot. It looks much cooler and comes alive at night.
Complaints aside, here’s some information. Buy your ticket, called an effigy because it’s in the image of Bonhomme, online and in advance to save money. Use daylight hours to travel to the different streets to see the ice sculptures. Then, after all the kids have gone to bed, go do the fun activities because the lines are much shorter when it’s dark and cold outside.
I highly recommend axe throwing – it’s a competitive activity but so niche that you might not otherwise get the opportunity to try it out. It’s not as hard as it looks. Rigodon Révolution is an expanded Quebec version of Dance Dance Revolution that features folk songs. I aced it and won against a local couple despite not knowing the lyrics. The secret is simply to move freely and not be afraid to look stupid.
If you’re already from a cold-climate city, you can miss the slide. Montreal’s sledding tracks are much longer and don’t cost anything to use. If you’ve grown up playing hockey, you can also skip the precision hockey game. But one thing you absolutely cannot miss is the ice palace.
There is a dining hall, a bedroom, a kitchen equipped with ice cutlery, a lounge, a statuette corridor, and a garage with an SUV. I had to put my mask on so my glasses fogged up and I couldn’t focus the photos properly. Here are a few that worked out alright.
After you’re done watching artists create snow statues with shovels and chainsaws, go out to see the ice sculptures again at night when they’re all lit up with LED lights. Don’t stay out too late, otherwise you’ll have to walk back up from Palace Royale when the funicular is closed.
