2026 winter festivals in and near Ottawa: Slide, skate and celebrate!

Winter doesn’t have to mean burying yourself under 10 blankets with a cup of hot chocolate and the TV remote. Here are all kinds of winter festivals and festivals that let you get out and celebrate the frosty season—and they’re all within a five-hour drive of Ottawa. Many are much closer, and quite a few are within the city limits! Rough Google Maps driving times from downtown Ottawa are in parentheses. (Those driving times are based on good weather and light traffic, so I often find them a bit optimistic.)

Cover photo of Winterlude fun at Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau courtesy of Ottawa Tourism.

2026 winter festivals

• Arnprior (0:48): Arnprior Optimist Winter Carnival, January 10 to 18
• Laurentian Valley (1:40): Alice in Winterland Carnival, January 16 to 23
• Embrun (0:35): Embrun Carnival, January 16 to 25
• Pakenham (0:40): Frost Festival, January 16 to 25
• Gatineau (0:30): Carnaval St-Jean Bosco, January 19 to 25
• Carlsbad Springs (0:22): Optimist Club Winter Carnival, January 23 to 25
• Laval (2:00): Laval en blanc, January 23 to 25
• Dalkeith (1:05): Dalkeith Winter Carnival, January 24 and 25

• Montague Township (0:55): Montague Winterfest, January 29 to February 1
• Ottawa (0:00): Winterlude, January 30 to February 16 (mainly weekends)
• Moose Creek (0:45): Winterfest, January 30 to February 1
• Morewood (0:50): Winter Carnival, January 30 to February 1
• White Lake (0:55): White Lake Winter Carnival, January 30
• Sarsfield (0:35): Carnaval Sarsfield, January 31 
• Bracebridge (4:20): Fire and Ice Festival, January 31

• Greely (0:30): Greely Winter Carnival, February 5 to 8
• Marionville (0:35): Marionville Winter Carnival, February 6 to 8
• Quebec City (4:30): Carnaval de Quebec, February 6 to 15
• Ottawa (0:10): Rideau Hall Winter Celebration, February 7
• Dunvegan (0:50): Dunvegan Winter Carnival, February 7
• Braeside (0:50): Braeside Winter Carnival, February 7
• St. Bernardin (1:00): Carnaval St-Bernardin, February 7
• Orleans (0:20): Fête Frissons, February 8
• Pembroke (2:05): SnoSpree, February 9 to 16
• Algonquin Park (3:00): Winter in the Wild, February 14
• Perth (1:00): Frost and Fire, February 14
• Renfrew (1:00): Frewfest, February 14 and 15
• Grenville (1:15): Carnaval d’hiver de Grenville, February 21
• Portland (1:40): Skate the Lake Portland, date to be determined based on weather conditions

Do you know of a festival I’ve missed? Please email me the details! (In particular, I’m trying to track down info on DragonFest, Cabin Fever, Shiverfest, and winter carnivals in Montague and Smiths Falls.)

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

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