6 Best Winter Activities in Edmonton: Festivals, Ice Sculptures & More (2025)

The city of Edmonton hosts more than 30 fun and exciting festivals every year, with themes focusing on sports, film, music, theatre, and more. These exciting events are major attractions for tourists and locals and are well-known throughout Canada, inviting all who are interested in fun and those keen on discovering the wonderful culture of this fine city. Here are six Edmonton winter festivals taking place this upcoming season.

Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival (January 18 & 19)

With the theme of "Barnyard Blitz," kick off 2025 at Deep Freeze, one of the most interesting winter festivals happening at the coldest time of the year. There's plenty of icy fun to enjoy, from Deep Freezer Races to stunning ice sculptures. Other amenities include workshops, visual arts gallery, and live music and dance performances to celebrate the cultures of Edmonton.

Horse and wagon rides, delicious food, and so much more will await you this year. From ice sculptures to street hockey and light installations like Chinese lanterns, it's the perfect way to celebrate the new year.

Flying Canoë Volant (January 29-February 1)

Discover music, light, dance, and so much more at the Flying Canoe Festival at Mill Creek Ravine and the city's Francophone Quarter. This night celebration highlights the area's history and provides attendees with an experience they won't forget. Canoe races take place on January 31 and February 1; the relay consists of an obstacle course, log sawing (or wood stacking), and an axe throw. 

Other activities include cultural experiences, live music, ice-carving workshops, and much more. This year the traditional snow slide will not be available, but the space will still offer music, food, hot chocolate, and a kids area.

Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival (February 7–9)

The Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival is a premier event in Alberta. Get ready to visit Cooking Lake in Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area to enjoy the snow and appreciate one of the oldest sports of the season. This festival will provide the opportunity for cross-country skiing with multiple events and distances. You can start simple with a short family ski or a slightly longer "fun ski" of seven kilometres, but if you're daring, you can go all the way up to 55 kilometres! 

This year's festival has an extra celebration: it's the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Birkbeiner Society!

Silver Skate Festival (February 7–17)

Held at Laurier Park while Hawrelak Park continues to be renovated, the Silver Skate Festival provides all kinds of winter fun. This year is the event's 35th year! There's plenty to enjoy, from snow and fire sculptures to winter sports and a heritage village.

One of the popular spots of the festival is the Snow Sculptures Garden, where teams from around the world create unique sculptures from huge blocks of snow. There's also a Folk Trail where local artists use waste from previous festivals to create sculptures that are then used as inspiration for stories and characters.

Winefest (February 14-15)

Winefest at the Edmonton Convention Centre is one of the best events in the city for wine throughout the year. This event is all-inclusive and allows attendees to try all types of wines. There will be hundreds of options available for sampling, including white, port, sparkling, dessert, reds, and more. Along with wine, there will be plenty of hors d'oeuvres for attendees. There are three sessions for visitors to choose from:

• February 14, 7–10 p.m.
• February 15, 2–5 p.m.
• February 15, 7–10 p.m.

Not only can you sample the wines, but you'll also get to take home a Riedel wine glass. VIP tickets offer additional benefits like exclusive wines and foods, a private lounge, and a coat check.

YEG Ice Fest (February 27-March 2)

YEG Ice Fest is a free event in Louise McKinney Park, home to the UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup and plenty of fun for people curious about ice climbing. In addition to watching the pros scramble up Edmonton's 18-metre climbing structure, visitors are welcome to try winter activities of their own. Climbing clinics will be available throughout the day on March 2 for those looking to learn some new skills.

Other activities include live entertainment, outdoor vendors, food and beer gardens, and fun community competitions like a fat bike race. 

Get Ready to Celebrate Winter in Edmonton

If you're looking for winter festivals in Edmonton to begin your year, these selections are just a few of the best. All of them provide plenty of fun and unique winter activities, so make sure to add them to your calendar.