June 1, 2020
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with travel dates on or after
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with effective start dates on or after
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The holidays are over. The spring is months away. You might be tempted to take flight for a tropical island somewhere. But why not embrace the cold?
These five amazing winter festivals, all taking place in January or February each year, make unforgettable vacations. And if you should slip on the ice or come down with the flu, remember that travel insurance can save your trip! Find the perfect plan to protect your winter getaway .
In 1950, local students made and displayed six snow sculptures. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, their initial effort grew and grew. Now, the Sapporo Snow Festival has become a massive seven-day festival that attracts more than 2 million visitors to Hokkaido each year.i
Odori Park is lined with snow sculptures that are both enormous and exquisite: buildings, cartoon characters, mythical creatures, or whatever the sculptors envision. At night, the snow sculptures are illuminated with colored lights, creating a winter wonderland.
Then, the day after the festival, all the sculptures are destroyed. Inside the Tsudome, kids and adults alike can race down large snow slides. Susukino Ice World displays intricate ice sculptures and has an ice bar serving drinks.
Tips for visiting the Sapporo Snow Festival: Book your hotel room well in advance, and plan to arrive early; at the end of the week, the sculptures aren’t quite as pristine.ii
The Quebecois know how to liven up a cold, dark winter. The annual Winter Carnival in Québec City, held each February, has it all: a canoe race on the icy St. Lawrence River, snow sculptures, two illuminated night parades and an ice palace built for Bonhomme, the carnival's jolly snowman mascot. The official drink of the festival is the caribou, a stiff cocktail of vodka, brandy, sherry and port.
There’s more fun to be had at the Valcartier Winter Playground just outside of the city, which offers ice skating, snow rafting and 35 snow slides of varying speed.
Tips for visiting the Québec City Winter Carnival: Insulate yourself! The average temperature is well below freezing: 1-27 degrees F, or -17 to -3 degrees C. Dress in layers, wear really warm wool socks and boots, and bring handwarmers.iii
While this annual winter celebration isn't as elaborate as some, it's too weird to miss. Every January, hundreds of skiers commemorate the evil deeds of a legendary witch by grabbing their pointy hats and broomsticks and competing in a ski race. Despite the ridiculous costumes, the race is a prestigious amateur ski competition, a local guide explains.iv
If you’re a downhill skiing fan, add the Inferno Race to your travel bucket list too. The world’s oldest and longest downhill skiing competition is held in late January in the nearby Swiss town of Mürren. Some 1,800 skiers speed down a 10-mile course, launching themselves at 12-second intervals.v
On January 6 each year, the nearby town of Evolene kicks off the carnival season with people ringing cowbells and dressing up like peluches -- frightening, fur-covered masked monsters.
Tips for visiting Belalp Hexe: While a witches’ race might seem like a kid-friendly event, the famous après-ski “Witches Nights” parties are pretty raucous.
The Winter Carnival is held in early February in the town of Saranac Lake, in the Adirondack Mountains. The carnival awes visitors with 10 days of spectacles: three fireworks shows, two parades and the construction of an enormous ice palace. Yet the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival still feels like a friendly small-town celebration, with craft sales, inner-tube races, curling competitions and the Mayor's Snowball Toss Tournament.
Tips for visiting the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival: The must-have souvenir from the festival is a $4 commemorative button, which has been designed by “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau every year since 1981. Only 6,000 buttons are printed each year, and they sell out quickly.
Winterlude, or Bal de Neige, takes place over the first three weekends in February every year. Close to 600,000 people come every year to marvel at the ice sculptures in Confederation Park and listen to live music at outdoor concerts. Kids love the Snowflake Kingdom playground in Jacques Cartier Park, which has snow slides, dog sledding and a snow maze. You can skate 7.8 kilometers (nearly 5 miles) along the Rideau Canal Skateway, the largest skating rink in the world. Or cheer on the Kiwanis in the annual Accora Village Bed Race, in which costumed teams raise money for charity by racing decorated hospital beds across the ice.vi
Tips for visiting Winterlude: Stay at one of the downtown hotels that’s an official Winterlude partner, so you can easily get to the attractions. And don’t rent a car! The Sno-Bus shuttle is free on Winterlude weekends.vii
Planning to visit one of these amazing winter festivals (or maybe somewhere warmer)? Protect yourself and your travel investment with trusted trip insurance products by Allianz Global Assistance. Get a quote .
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