It’s a fact that New Brunswick gets hit with the most snow in the Canadian Maritimes each year. While the “Grinch-y” warmer winter experienced so far this season has prevented us from experiencing winter to the fullest, the season still brings plenty of festivals and other exciting events, even if we cannot enjoy quintessential winter activities.
The list includes some of the best activities to enjoy the season until old man winter returns in force, and we can sharpen our blades, shine our sleds, tune our skis or wax our snowboard and head outside to show winter who’s the boss!
1. Greater Moncton Burger Festival
January 12- 28, 2024
2. Shivering Songs Festival
The Shivering Songs Festival is a popular winter music festival that hosts renowned artists in beautiful rustic and historic spaces throughout Downtown Fredericton.
January 17 to 21, 2024
3. Fredericton Frostival
Take the whole family out and celebrate winter at Atlantic Canada’s Largest Winter Celebration. Fredericton Frostival is three weekends packed with winter fun. There are over 100 events that you and your family can check out and participate in.
January 18 to February 4, 2024
Various Locations in Fredericton
4. Uptown Poutine Fest
Warm up at the Uptown Saint John restaurants and experience the best savoury delights created by talented chefs. During Uptown Poutine Fest, you can take your family and friends out to try a variety of different takes on this classic Canadian dish available for a whole week.
January 22 to 28, 2024
5. Tracadie Pond Hockey Tournament
Once the Tracadie Pond freezes, it becomes a popular location for outdoor skating. It also becomes a hockey rink for a weekend. The annual hockey tournament has five categories for teams to enter.
Details
January 24 to 28, 2024
Villégiature Deux Rivers Resort, 100 Rue Dues Rivieres, Travadie
6. Winter Warmer Festival
Come and get cosy at this small venue festival that features a number of award winning regional, national and internationally touring artists!
January 25 to 28, 2024
St. Andrews
7. HubCap Comedy Festival
More than 20 headline comedians from across Canada come together in Moncton for the HubCap Comedy Festival. There are over 20 shows in bars, restaurants, and theatres. So, bring your friends and laugh off the winter blues.
January 24 to February 3, 2024!
8. Poley Mountain
Have some family fun on the slopes of Poley Mountain. It is located between Moncton, Saint John, and Fredericton. There are so many fun things to do that you should definitely plan to spend a weekend or longer with your family at Poley Mountain.
69 Poley Mountain Rd, Waterford
9. Maple Tours & Sugar Bush
Welcome spring by going on a Sugar bush tour!
Enjoy some delectable, sweet treats as you wait for spring at one of the many sugar bushes across New Brunswick. You can tour the forests, see how the clear sap is made into golden maple syrup, try taffy on the snow or stay warm inside a camp and enjoy a maple-themed meal.
10. Atlantic Maple Capital Festival
Enjoy the many flavours at the Atlantic Maple Capital Festival in Saint-Quentin. There will be meals featuring local maple products, shows, guided tours, fireworks and much more.
Saint-Quentin
2024 TBA
11. Ice Carnival
Shippagan’s Ice Carnival is a must- see event for all ages. People from across New Brunswick and Canada travel to see the ice sculptors and their imaginative ice creations.
February 1-4, 2024
Shippagan
12. Sackville Winterfest
Celebrate the frosty season at the Sackville Winterfest! While 2024 details are yet to be announced, the festival promises plenty of fun for the whole family.
February 8 to 11, 2024
13. Riverview Winter Carnival
Spend 10 days celebrating all things winter at the Riverview Winter Carnival. Go on a sleigh ride, help build the community ice castle, and enjoy winter treats.
February 2-11, 2024
14. Chinese New Year Gala
Chinese Culture Association of New Brunswick (CCANB)’s annual New Year Celebration Gala.
The theme, “Spring Adventure,” will be brought to life through a captivating combination of Chinese traditional-style dance and modern music, telling enchanting stories of spring adventures and romance.
Fredericton Playhouse, 686 Queen Street, Fredericton
February 11, 2024
15. Fundy Winterfest
Celebrate and embrace winter by staying active!
This is what Fundy Winterfest is all about. This 6-week long event is celebrated across 6 communities of Rothesay, Quispamsis, Hampton, Saint John, Grand Bay-Westfield and St. Martins.
February 1 – March 10, 2024
Greater Saint John
16. Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival
February 9 to 10, 2024
Fredericton Playhouse, 686 rue Queen St, Fredericton
17. Fredericton Winter Frolic
Discover a magical Winter Wonderland in Fredericton’s NB Exhibition Grounds, featuring sleigh rides, snow mazes, and more, complete with warming tents, hot chocolate, and food trucks for endless family fun.
February 10-11 and 17-19, 2024
Exhibition Grounds, Fredericton
18. Campbellton Regional Sno-Fest
Enjoy the winter wonderland with four days packed with lots of family fun. Campbellton Regional Sno-Fest is the place to be during winter. There will be so much fun, many snow sculptures, live entertainment and more.
TBA, Scheduled for 2024
19. Moncton Spirits Festival
The Moncton Spirits Festival dazzles with an extensive lineup, including the exclusive Private Tasters Whisky Ball, the inaugural New Brunswick Craft & Artisan Awards, a VIP Whisky Dinner, the grandiose Grand Tasting Gala, a thrilling New Brunswick Bar Tender Competition, and numerous other captivating events.
February 16 & 17, 2024
20. PolarFest
Gather around cozy firepits, carve a snow sculpture, and indulge in thrilling activities like hill sliding, ice skating on the Muskrat Trail, snowshoeing, skiing, horse-drawn wagon rides, and snow sculpting, savor delicious food and drinks from a variety of vendors and a beer garden during Moncton’s PolarFest in Centennial Park
February 16 & 17, 2024
Centennial Park 801 St. George Blvd Moncton
21. World Pond Hockey Championships
Over a 100 teams from across the global head to World Pond Hockey Championships to see who is best. Pond hockey is very different because it is four on four game that has no goaltenders. There are over 20 ice surfaces with many games taking place at the same time during the Championships.
Plaster Rock
February 15 to 18, 2024
22. Perth-Andover Winter Freeze Fest
There is so much to do at the Perth-Andover Winter Freeze Fest. This 4-day winter festival includes daily musical performances, dining and cultural experiences, sporting opportunities, and a 2-day event grounds jammed back with outside activities and entertainment for everyone.
February 2024, dates TBA
23. White Gold Odyssey Festival
Embark on an exhilarating journey, covering over 1,000 km of picturesque northern New Brunswick trails. It’s an opportunity to immerse in stunning scenery on a snowmobile.
February 21 to 25, 2024
24. Fredericton Craft Beer Festival
See and taste the latest trends in Craft Beer at the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, which is considered to be one of the best beer extravaganzas in the Maritimes. There are over 45 beer, cider, and mead breweries from across the east coast that attend this popular festival every year, including many from just the Fredericton area alone.
March 8th & 9th, 2024
Fredericton Convention Centre
25. Winter Horseback Riding
There’s something magical about heading out on horseback in the crisp morning air, on snow-covered tracks, with nothing but the crunch of hooves to break the silence. Boyle Family Farm near Moncton offers riding adventures for the whole family.
Boyle Family Farm , 3528 Route 126 Hwy, Lutes Mountain
26. Crabbe Mountain
Gather your friends together and hit the slopes on New Brunswick’s best hills at Crabbe Mountain. There are over 30 kilometres of skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing trails. They have lessons available on certain days of the week.
50 Crabbe Mountain Road, Central Hainesville
27. Sugarloaf Provincial Park
Hit the slopes at Sugarloaf Provincial Park. The park features 13 Alpine ski trains ranging from beginner to expert, a terrain park, a quadruple chairlift, 2 t-bars and a pony lift. Sugarloaf is also home to Les Montagnard Outdoors Club with groomed trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Details
596 Val-d’Amour Road, Atholville
28. Kouchibouguac National Park
Kouchibouguac National Park stretches along the Acadian Coastal Drive and has some of the most dazzling views in the winter. The park is open year around, so you can hike or snowshoe through the park during the winter to see all the beautiful views and have an unforgettable adventure.
National 186-117, Kouchibouguac
29. Laverty Falls Trail – Fundy National Park
Laverty Falls is one of the most popular places for people to visit in Fundy National Park because it is so beautiful. There are a number of trails that will take you to Laverty Falls. The hike is short but will feel like it takes a long time because there are so many gorgeous views for you to enjoy along the way.
Alma
30. Sheldon Point Trail – Irving Nature Park
Sheldon Point Trail takes you round the edge the Irving Nature Park and to the beach. The trail is lined with forest, so you have breathtaking views of the forest and the ocean.
1790 Sand Cove Rd, Saint John
31. Dobson Trail – Moncton
Dobson Trail is one of the longest and most challenging trails in New Brunswick, but the breathtaking views that you will see while snowshoeing or hiking on this trail are worth the pain. Most of the trail runs through the forest and there are beautiful oak, birch, and pine trees all around the trails.
Riverview to Fundy National Park
More Things to Do in New Brunswick
32. Mont Farlagne Outdoor Centre
When the snow starts falling, grab your gear and hit the slopes at Mont Farlagne. Ski down the 22 runs and show off your skills at the snow park. They also have tubing hills to fly down. If you prefer snowshoeing, there are 45km of trails for you to explore.
Details
360 Mont Farlagne Road, Edmunston
33. Oakland Farm & Lodge
When colder days come, Oakland Farm celebrates with sleigh rides. The sleight ride will have you gliding down the trails around the farm and lodge. Do not worry if you have hay or straw allergies, they do not have either on the seats.
Details
65 Oakland Farm Ln, New Maryland
From $8
34. Broadleaf Ranch
Fun does not stop in the winter at the Broadleaf Ranch. Glide through the breathtaking landscapes of Albert Country Woodland and Shepody Marshland on a sleigh ride. You can also explore the snowy fields on horseback.
Details
5526 Route 114, Hopewell Hill, Albert County
35. Fisher Lakes
When the lake is frozen over, the fish are biting in Fisher Lakes. Dress warmly and bring some bate with you for a fun day of ice fishing.
Details
55 Lake Drive South, Saint John
36. Sled Dog Mushing Adventures
Dog sledding is a very Canadian hobby, and Sled Dog Mushing Adventures makes it easy to learn how to mush. You can either relax on the sled or drive the team of dogs.
37. Winter Camping at Mactaquac Provincial Park
Visit New Brunswick‘s winter wonderland called Mactaquac Provincial Park. Enjoy winter camping, outdoor skating at the 1-acre pond, cross-country ski on 7 km of groomed trails or snowshoe at various locations in the park. Fat bikes are available for rent at the park, and complimentary cross-country skis and snowshoes are available courtesy of the Friends of Mactaquac . You can even take a horse-drawn sleigh ride for a magical winter treat (reservations required, 506-328-7030). Pack your toboggan and dress warmly because it is going to be a fun day in the snow. There are lots of great hills to go sliding down.
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