'Embrace our winter': Frost 2.0 puts final touches on festival prep
The final details are being chiselled into place at the REAL District in preparation for the second annual Frost Festival taking place Feb. 3 to 12.
Event co-chair Tim Reid said last year’s inaugural event had its challenges.
“Last year, we learned what doing events in the winter is really all about,” he said. “This year we’re more precise with our programming.”
160 blocks of ice, weighing over 300 pounds apiece, were brought in for ice sculptures, snow mazes and of course, slides.
Barry Collier and his team from Edmonton have worked hard in the days leading up to the festival to make sure their feature sculptures, including a dragon, a truck, and full living room set are ready for visitors Friday.
Barry Collier chisels the finishing details on an ice sculpture for the Frost Festival at the REAL District on Feb. 2, 2023. (Donovan Maess / CTV News)
“It’s about interacting with the crowd,” said Collier. “That’s the greatest joy about doing this, bringing people outside and really embracing our winter.”
They will be providing sculpting demonstrations throughout Frost.
For those looking to warm up, there are multiple free indoor events at REAL as well. The Harvard Lounge at Mosaic Stadium will have live local music Friday and Saturday nights.
In addition, people can take a walk inside to catch a train ride through the revamped version of ‘Glow,’ featuring more than 300,000 lights.
Figure skating legend Elvis Stojko is also back at Frost again this year.
“It’s great to be indoors this year, a little bit warmer,” he said. “The people [in Regina] are wonderful and it’s always great to be out here.”
Tickets from REAL to access Glow and the Stojko shows at the Brandt Centre can be purchased here.
Early-bird pricing will end at midnight on Feb. 3.
This year, the festival is sprawling out around Regina to Downtown, the Warehouse District, Wascana Park and RCMP Heritage Centre. Each hub will have its own varying style.
“People want differing experiences,” said Reid. “You’ll see hubs are very focused on different demographics and ultimately, there will be something for everybody at each hub.”
What really made Frost shine this year is the over 200 volunteers dedicating their time.
“We have such an active group within our volunteers,” said Charlene Oancia, volunteer manager. “It continues to grow and make our events successful. They’re the icing on the cake.”
Frost Festival opening ceremonies are Friday night at the RCMP Heritage Centre beginning at 5 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.