Top Winter Events & Festivals in Manitoba – 2025/26 Season

Celebrate Winter in Manitoba! Here is a list of great events & festivals in Manitoba to fill your winter weekends. From splendid lights that light up the cold winter night to a pop-up bar on a frozen lake to sled dog race, there is plenty to do in Manitoba to warm-up your winter nights and days!

 

Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Waterfall of Lights

Photo Credit: Tourism Brandon

Skating through the dazzling display of holiday lighting! Details

When:

Nightly through the winter season, weather permitting | 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM

Where:

 west of the City of Brandon’s Community Services Complex on McGregor Avenue, Brandon

How much:

Free

Canad Inns Winter Wonderland

Canad Inns Winter Wonderland is Manitoba’s largest drive-thru light show and provides a brilliant presentation of over one million lights in 26 different theme areas. Details

When:

November 28, 2025 – January 3, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Where:

3977 Portage Avenue at the Red River Exhibition Park, Winnipeg

How much:

General: $30/vehicle

Canadian Power Toboggan Championship

The Canadian Power Toboggan Championships is the longest-running snowmobile race in the world. Racers of all ages and skill levels compete in Stock, Modified, Vintage and Motorcycle classes, from Kitty Kat right through to Pro levels. The Canadian Power Toboggan Championships has the world’s fastest and safest 1/2 mile ice oval track. Snowmobiles race at speeds in excess of 170 km/h and up to 18 racers compete at the same time! Details

When:

December 13 – 14, 2025 & March 7 – 8, 2026

Where:

Beausejour, Manitoba

40-minute drive north-east of Winnipeg via 4-lane Highways 59 and 44

How much:

Admission $25/day
Kids 12 & under – Free

Christmas Glow in the Country

Come take a leisurely drive through the 2-kilometer route in the comfort of your vehicle, tune your radio to our Christmas Glow station and enjoy the festive displays and goodies. Details

When:

December 1 – 14, 2025

Where:

Winkler Bible Camp, 16037 Pth 3, Winkler

How much:

Pay by donation / $20 per vehicle

Snowdance Festival of Winter and Music

Find those mittens your grandma made for you. Borrow your roommate’s boots. Put on all your long johns at once. Wear that really cool scarf that brings out the blue in your eyes. And head out to the woods for Snowdance, the wintery music festival at the Falcon Ridge Ski Slopes. Details

When:

Saturday, January 17, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Where:

Various venues

Winnipeg New Music Festival

 Winnipeg New Music Fesitval is all about celebrating ‘contemporary classical music’. Details

When:

January 21 – 29, 2026

Where:

Centennial Concert Hall, 555 Main Street, Winnipeg

Knox United Church, 400 Edmonton St, Winnipeg

How much:

WNMF Pass: Regular $99; Child $49

Rock the River Festival

Rock the River Festival is a one-of-a-kind outdoor curling bonspiel held right on the frozen river in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This event raises funds for two incredible causes: the Heart & Stroke Foundation and KidSport Manitoba. Details

When:

February 6-8, 2026

Where:

Redboine Boat Club, 20 Churchill Drive, Winnipeg

How much:

Registration required to participate

 

Winnipeg Scottish Festival

The Winnipeg Scottish Festival is the largest indoor pipe band and solo competition from the Alberta border to the Ontario border. The festival presents highland dancing, piping, drumming, and Celtic Vendors all under one roof. Details

When:

February 7 – 8, 2026

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Where:

Canadian Mennonite University, 500 Shaftesbury Road

How much:

Free

KidFish Ice Derby

 Bundle up, grab your fishing lines, and head out on to the ice for the annual Kids KidFish Ice Derby and raise money for CHFM and CancerCare MB! Details

When:

February 15, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Where:

Float Plane Base, 1007-1009 Breezy Point Rd, Selkirk, MB

Selkirk Float Base is located just north of the City of Selkirk.

How much:

Tickets go on sale in November

Northern Manitoba Trappers Festival

Photo Credit: Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival

Held annually in The Pas, the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival celebrates the diverse cultural heritage of the northern pioneer. The major events are the World Championship Dog Race and the King, Queen and youth Trapper events with contests based on the lifestyle, livelihood and survival of the trapper.  Details

 

When:

Usually in the third weekend of February

February 18 – 22, 2026

Where:

Northern Manitoba Trappers Festival, 324 Ross Avenue, The Pas, Manitoba

How much:

Some events are free, while others have a small admission fee

Festival du Voyageur

Western Canada’s largest winter festival for the whole family with lots of entertainment including music, dancing, jigging, French-Canadian food, meeting historical characters, sculptures and much more. Details

When:

February 13 – 22, 2026

Where:

Whittier Park, 836 Rue St Joseph Winnipeg

How much:

Free and ticketed events

Skate the Lake

  Skate the Lake is a two-day pond hockey tournament where teams of 5 compete in a 4-on-4 pond hockey format with two 15-minute halves. There are no goalies, no refs and no limit to the fun! Details

When:

2026 dates TBA
February 15 + 16, 2025

Where:

Minnedosa Lake, Minnedosa

How much:

Spectators: Free

Dan’s Diner Remote Culinary Experience

Experience a remote dining adventure at 58° North latitude, surrounded by wilderness beneath the northern lights. The exquisitely curated, multi-course menu will feature regional and local fare.  This is Dan’s Diner, a remote culinary adventure like no other. Details

When:

Select dates in February and March

Where:

Churchill River

Lac du Bonnet Ice Fishing Derby

 Join the Annual Lac du Bonnet Ice Fishing Derby where size doesn’t matter! With our hidden length and time derby, all you have to do is catch a fish for your chance to walk away with $10,000 cash. In fact, you don’t even have to catch a fish at all to be able to win one of the amazing randomly drawn prizes. Master Anglers, professional fishers, fishing enthusiasts, and families alike all have a great time out on the ice.  Details

When:

February 28, 2026

Where:

Lac du Bonnet Town Dock, Lac du Bonnet

How much:

Spectator Ticket-Early Bird %$10; Participant $30 – $65

Gimli Ice Festival

Held every year in March, this festival is all about ice, with lots of fun events, entertainments and competitions. See snow sculptures, enjoy bannocks, pancake breakfast, meet Cooley the Mascot at Cooley’s Ice Park and more. Visitors can take part in various competitions like the Fire on Ice Care Racing, min-sled racing, rotary chili contest, cross country skiing. Details

When:

Usually in the month of March

March 6-8, 2026

Where:

Gimli Harbour, Manitoba

How much:

$5 Festival Pass Required To Be A Participant

Freeze Frame International Film Festival

There is lots to see and do at Freeze Frame’s International Film Festival for Kids of All Ages, from Festival Films, workshops, contests, reel jobs, interactive digital playground and more. Details

When:

March 8 – 14, 2026

Where:

Winnipeg

How much:

$7 / screening (1 feature film)

Hudson Bay Quest

A self-sufficient sled dog race to celebrate northern Manitoba trapper culture, running from Gillam, Manitoba to Churchill, Manitoba. It is a trek through boreal forest and barren tundra that will prove a test for any racer.  It harkens back to a time when ‘There ain’t no law of God nor man goes north of 53°’ was a common saying. Details

When:

2026 dates TBA
April 5, 2025

Where:

From Churchill to Gillam

How much:

2025 TBA

Previous – Entry fee $600

Falcon Lake Winter Fish-Off

Held annually, Falcon Lake Winter Fish-Off attracts anglers from all over central Canada, the midwestern United States, as well as Canada’s North country to compete for the 1st place and win $10000. Kids are also encouraged to take part in competitions. In 2017, there will also be a tagged fish contest on Falcon Lake where anglers will try to catch 6 tagged fishes. Details

When:

March 14, 2026

Where:

Falcon Lake, Manitoba

Tournament held on West Side of Falcon Lake. Signs posted off #1 highway to derby site

How much:

$70 – $100

Royal Manitoba Winter Fair

Celebrate the best in agriculture, entertainment, and equestrian competitions. The Winter Fair is the largest combined indoor agricultural fair and equestrian competition in Manitoba. Details

When:

March 30 – April 4, 2026

Usually takes place in the last week of March

Where:

Brandon, MB

How much:

Advance Admission $20 – $23

 

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