Embrace winter in Edmonton at Deep Freeze 2014

This year marks the 7th annual Deep Freeze: Byzantine Winter Festival on Alberta Avenue. It’s one of my favorite festivals of the year, and each iteration seems to get better and better.

The Deep Freeze Winter Festival is a free family event that brings together the Ukrainian, Franco-Albertan, Franco-African, First Nations, and Acadian/East Coast communities to revel in the magic and beauty of winter.

Sharon and I went down to check it out this afternoon and had a great time. It was relatively warm today, which meant that melting snow had made the roads quite mucky. By mid-afternoon it had started cooling down however, enough that a light snow could start to fall.

Here’s a short video to give you a taste of what to expect at Deep Freeze:

Nearly every event says it has “something for everyone” but at Deep Freeze, that’s really true!

Want to take a horse-drawn wagon ride? You can do that!

Want to roast hot dogs or taste some cabane a sucre? You can do that!

Want to play a little street hockey? You can do that!

Hockey isn’t your sport? No problem. How about curling? You can do that!

Want to check out the ice and snow sculptures? You can do that!

How about sledding? Or sliding? Or snowshoeing? Or skating? You can do all of that too!

Want to try your luck in a Deep Freezer Race? You can do that!

Are you a kid who needs to warm up? By the fire or indoors, you can do that!

Are you an adult who needs to warm up? By the fire, indoors, or with a shot of Baileys from the ice bar, you can do that!

Want to just walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds? You can do that!

There’s so much to see and do at Deep Freeze, you basically have no excuse for staying indoors. If you missed it today, you still have all of Sunday afternoon to head down to Alberta Avenue. For the love of winter, get out and enjoy the Deep Freeze Festival!

You can see more photos here. Be sure to follow @DeepFreezeYeg on Twitter too. If you like what you see, consider volunteering or donating for next year!