La Fête des Neiges has brought a whirlwind of winter family activities to Montreal’s Parc Jean Drapeau until Feb. 5. There’s everything from zip-lining to ice-sculpting to dog-sledding to kicksled races. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so don’t head out until you read this list of tips – which can be applied to many Montreal winter carnivals:
1. Yes, the event has many free activities, but prepare to pay $16 for parking.
2. Bring a stroller, pull-along sled or wagon to transport children age 5 and under: Just getting from the parking lot to the activities is a long walk for little legs.
3. Expect discouraging lineups. For pretty much everything.
4. Grab a festival map upon arrival and decide if there are any must-dos. If so, get in line ASAP, before everyone runs out of steam.
5. Try the free snow fort slide! It’s a unanimous hit with the kids.
6. Stop by the free ice-carving tables – kids get a free block of ice and tools (no chainsaws!) to make their own carving. Cool!
7. Eat en masse or on foot: There are some outdoor picnic tables, as well as an indoor eating area, where – during our visit – it was every parent for themselves when it came to finding somewhere to sit. It’s smart to bring your own food, but there are also several casse-croute-style food kiosks.
8. Designate a meeting place: This event gets really crowded, so it’s a good idea to decide on a meeting place in case anyone gets lost, or gets magnetically pulled to the Beaver Tails kiosk.
9. Divide and conquer: Have one parent take Sibling #1 to one activity, while the other takes sibling #2 somewhere else. Then switch.
10. Too much? Stay local: La Fête des Neiges isn’t for everyone. If crowds, lineups, and sausages on a stick aren’t your thing, there are many smaller municipal winter carnivals happening in Montreal.
P.S.: We didn’t visit Montreal’s new Snow Village during our trip to La Fête des Neiges, since it’s pretty pricey for a family of four. But here’s a fun Gazette article about a reporter’s stay in the ice hotel.
1 Comment
Thanks for the tips! They’ll come in useful if the upcoming weekend is mild.
We completely agree re: the snow village. When we discovered the (rather disappointing) cost of a family visit, we decided we’d much rather put those funds towards a visit to the dino exhibit at the Science Center.