The Gimli Ice Festival will be unleashing the hounds and the horses, the flying fish and the frozen T-shirts, and the cars and the ATVs for its upcoming winter festival that’s geared towards getting people outdoors and bringing winter to heel.
The festival’s co-chairs, Susan and Peter Holfeuer, and their volunteer committee always bring something new to the event each year. The popular festival brings people from across the Interlake and beyond to Gimli for a non-stop weekend of events in early March.
“This year the festival is proud to be collaborating with 19 different organizations, many of them facilitating an event with the support of their incredible volunteer team. Several of these organizations have been involved with the festival since its inaugural year in 2012,” said Peter Holfeuer. “Attendees to this year’s festival can continue to enjoy many of the traditional events, plus some exciting new additions like the Jus Chillin ATV & UTV Show ‘N Shine and Demo, the Brave the Journey to Arendelle event, the Polar Games Team Competition, and the Hailey’s Way Ice Fishing Derby.”
Some of the favourites from past festivals include horse-drawn wagon rides and harness dog winter sport demonstrations. The Gimli Red River Métis local organization will be holding a vendor market and showcasing traditional Métis cultural performances.
“The incredible team from the Riverton & District Friendship Centre will be providing festival attendees with bannock cooked over an open fire, along with hot tea and taffy on a stick. A local area band, Leddwyn, will be performing live following the fireworks that take place at 7 p.m. on March 7 at the Gimli harbour,” said Holfeuer. “The festival will also be presenting a 20-minute video that will contain many of the memories and highlights of the festival over the last 14 years. This video, along with another short film being presented by the Gimli International Film Festival, will be screening at the Lady of the Lake Theatre throughout the festival weekend.”
Some of the festival’s beloved events include the frozen fish toss, the frozen T-shirt competition, the Hands of Lugh’s Viking age re-enactments, festival mascot Cooley’s outdoor games, and the Winnipeg Sports Car Club’s Fire on Ice racing on Lake Winnipeg.
For those who prefer to race using their own two feet, Chris Isfeld’s Viking’s Challenge run across Lake Winnipeg is scheduled for Saturday morning of the festival, with proceeds going to skin cancer patients across Canada.
Local businesses are getting into festival mode by participating in a storefront decoration competition that’s starting in late February in the lead-up to festival weekend.
The festival attracts a plethora of sponsors each year. Holfeuer said Chudds car dealership and power sports dealer had offered in early January to become a major sponsor of the festival to help sustain and support its growth.
“Besides the addition of the Chudds group of businesses and most recently Gimli Ford, the festival is very thankful to all the local area businesses that provide their support, many for the last 10-plus years,” said Holfeuer.
The Gimli Ice Festival is scheduled for the weekend of March 7 and 8.
One thing the festival won’t be offering is inflation; the price remains budget-friendly with a pass costing only $5.
For a full list of festival events and times, visit the festival’s website at gimliicefestival.com or its Facebook and Instagram sites.
