Barrie 
Barrie Winterfest is back this weekend, celebrating the season with a plethora of fan-favourite activities.
Credit: City of Barrie
This year’s festival is set to take place at Heritage Park & Meridian Place, featuring a diverse range of activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
This much-anticipated event, a highlight in Ontario’s festival calendar and Barrie’s winter season, promises an exhilarating blend of family fun, entertainment, and cultural experiences.
Let’s delve into the festival’s diverse offerings:
- Ice Sculptures: Professional sculptors will carve 300lb blocks of ice into masterpieces, celebrating the theme of flight. These sculptures, illuminated at night, will grace Meridian Place as long as the weather allows.
- Lumberjack Shows: The Great Canadian Lumberjacks will showcase their skills in a head-to-head competition, offering a glimpse into traditional lumberjack practices in a winter setting.
- Wildlife and History: The Speaking of Wildlife exhibit allows close encounters with Canada’s wildlife. For history enthusiasts, Theatre By The Bay’s walking tours offer insights into Barrie’s wintery past.
- Family Entertainment: Activities such as the Trolls Character Party Storytime and TEAM T & J Kids Jumpin’ Jamboree offer interactive fun for children, while the NorthFIRE Fire & Ice Circus Show presents a blend of fire performances and acrobatics.
- Outdoor Activities: Attendees can enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides, the Snow Valley mini tube slide, and a nature play kitchen. The event also includes snowshoeing opportunities and marshmallow roasting. The Toronto Kite Fliers will present a winter aerial display of kites. For an additional cost, attendees can experience helicopter rides on both festival days.
- Culinary and Shopping Experiences: A vendor market will feature local treats like BeaverTails and maple syrup products. Plus, there will be a Scouts winter cookout The downtown area’s restaurants and the Hot Cocoa Trail offer further culinary delights and the Barrie Farmers’ Market showcases local produce and crafts. The Barrie Lions Club hosts its traditional Winterfest pancake breakfast on Saturday from 9am to 12pm at the Collier Street United Church, offering pancakes, sausages, and drinks on a donation basis.
- Cultural Engagements: The Grey and Simcoe Foresters Regimental Museum, located at 36 Mulcaster Street, is open from 10am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday, offering family-friendly visits with hot chocolate and exhibitions on Barrie’s military history, narrated by Sgt. Murray in 1880s uniform.
- Music and Performances: The festival includes diverse musical acts, from the February Blues Festival performances featuring the Cabin Fever Blues Jam at City Hall on Saturday from 7:30 to 10pm, with a lineup including Ray Martinelli and Hugh Hardy, and a performance by Juno-nominated slide-guitarist Sean Pinchin at the Barrie Public Library on Sunday from 2 to 4pm.
For convenience, Barrie Transit offers a free Winterfest Transit Shuttle between Bayfield Mall and the Downtown Terminal. Ample parking is available, including the Collier Street Parkade. Road closures around Simcoe Street are planned for seamless festival navigation.
