The Quebec Winter Carnival (french: Carnaval de Québec), commonly known in both English and French as Carnaval, is a pre-Lenten festival held in Quebec City. After being held intermittently since 1894, the ''Carnaval de Québec'' has been celebrated annually since 1955. That year, ''Bonhomme Carnaval'', the mascot of the festival, made his first appearance. Up to one million people attended the ''Carnaval de Québec'' in 2006 making it, at the time, the largest winter festival in the world (since overtaken by the Harbin Festival). It is, however, the largest winter festival in the Western Hemisphere.

Activities and attractions

The most famous attractions of this winter festival are the night-time and daytime parades led by mascot Bonhomme Carnaval. The parades wind through the upper city, decorated for the occasion with lights and ice sculptures. Numerous public and private parties, shows and balls are held across the city, some of them outside in the bitter cold, testimony to the Québécois' fabled

joie de vivre ( , ; "joy of living") is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit. It "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And ''joie de vivre'' may be ...

. Other major events include: *A masquerade ball with up to 400 participants at the grand ballroom of the

Château Frontenac The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, commonly referred to as the Château Frontenac, is a historic hotel in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The hotel is situated in Old Quebec, within the historic district's Upper Town, on the southern side of Place d ...

. *The opening and closing ceremonies taking place at the Ice Palace before thousands of participants, Bonhomme and the mayor of Quebec. *Outdoor sport events (snowboarding, ice canoe, snowshoes, hockey, dog-sledding, etc., some of them part of World Championship tournaments) inside and outside the city. *Free outdoor public banquets (brunch, breakfast, etc.). *The Canadian, Québécois, International and Student artist snow sculpture contests on the

Plains of Abraham The Plains of Abraham (french: Plaines d'Abraham) is a historic area within the Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec, anada. It was established on 17 March 1908. The land is the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took plac ...

, the main setting of the carnival. The Plains are a public city park and stay open for leisure activities, including snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails, during carnival time. Part of the Plains around the Citadel is transformed into an outdoor winter amusement park with various family-themed activities, including the display of the three main snow-sculpting contests (Canada's provinces, Quebec's regions, International) and the traditional ''bikini snow bath'' event (bain de neige) Outdoor dance parties are held at the Ice Palaces. *Kiosks and other outlets in the city sell the Bonhomme effigy tag that grants admission into most of the events, although some are free outside the main site. *Most commercial main streets are decorated and some bars and restaurants set up a winter patio in front of their establishments. *''Bonhomme'' – short for ''bonhomme de neige'' ("snowman") is the official ambassador of the festivities, the castle lord of the Ice Palace. Bonhomme is described as a seven-foot-tall, four-hundred pound snowman sporting a red cap, black buttons and a

ceinture fléchée The ceinture fléchée (French for "arrowed sash"; English: L'Assomption sash or "arrow sash") is a type of colourful sash, a traditional piece of Québécois clothing linked to at least the 17th century (of the Lower Canada, Canada East and ...

that gives acknowledgement to French-Canadian and Métis style clothing. *It is traditional to drink ''

Caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subsp ...

'', a hot alcoholic beverage, to keep warm. *The public

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

is a fundraising event in aid of the carnival. This auction features many goods and services donated for silent auction and live auction.

Feasts and restaurants

*The Business Leaders' Luncheon, organized by the Québec City Chamber of Commerce. *The 'Restaurant Partners' Campaign is a 179-day promotion during which Québec City

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearance ...

s offer customers a special menu for a fixed price throughout the carnival (including appetizer, soup, or salad, a main course, and a dessert).

Races and tournaments

*A sleigh race in which drivers and their horses take part in a single- and double-harness race on the Plains of Abraham. *An

Ice canoe Originally a means of winter transport between the islands and shores of the Saint Lawrence River, ice canoeing is now a sport. Crews of five athletes alternately push their canoe across the ice on the frozen parts of the river, and paddle in a ...

race on the St. Lawrence river. *The

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival ...

was founded in 1960 by

Gérard Bolduc Gérard Bolduc (August 3, 1906 – March 8, 1993) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He co-founded the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 1960, served as president of the tournament for 15 years, and sought to bring interna ...

Paul Dumont Paul Dumont (June 15, 1920 – April 9, 2008) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He was associated with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from its founding in 1969 to 1984. He served as the general manager of the Quebec Rempar ...

and others, was part of the program until 1977. *The Snowboard World Cup in Quebec City (not part of the carnival official program).

Gallery

File:Carnaval du Quebec 2005.jpg, Ice sculpture (2005) File:Carnaval de Québec - place de la famille - 2006-02.JPG, Family venue (2006) File:Carnival 1.jpg, Ice Palace (2009) File:Defile du Pere Noel Montreal 2011 - 040.jpg, Parade in Montreal (2011) File:Canot 2011.jpg, Canoe race (2011) File:Québec-Carnaval-Palais- 2011.JPG, Ice Palace (2011) File:Toboggan at Terrasse Dufferin.jpg, Toboggan at Terrasse Dufferin File:Quebec City Winter Carnival, carriage.jpg Quebec City Winter Carnival, figure.jpg

References

External links