The City of Airdrie has announced the launch of a brand-new winter festival later this month to celebrate the chilly season and bring the community together for some outdoor activities to help beat the winter blues.
The inaugural Cabin Fever main event will be hosted on Feb. 18 from 12 to 4 p.m. at Chinook Winds Regional Park, with winter-themed activities taking place there throughout the Family Day long weekend.
Kristen Shima, community developer of festivals and events for the City, said Cabin Fever is geared toward connecting residents with the winter season, calling Airdronians out of hibernation and providing them a chance to connect with their neighbours.
She added the event will be focusing on physical activity and emphasizing winter sports to get people moving during the winter season.
“As well as enjoying just being neighbourly and connecting on that social level,” Shima explained. “And bridging that with the hibernation of winter and being cold and getting outside – that 'cabin fever' feeling.”
As Canadians, Shima added it’s important to embrace the cold and still get outside to do activities during the wintertime.
“Overall, it's celebrating community and really activating our spaces and places,” she shared. “It’s really important to bring out those elements of interaction and activity in this beautiful community with all these amazing places and pockets in our neighbourhoods.
“It’s celebrating those spaces, not only during the summer and the fall, but also bringing it out into the winter.”
Cabin Fever will be the City's first festival held at Chinook Winds Regional Park, which is home to the municipality's annual Canada Day firework celebrations.
The family-friendly event will be free to attend and will feature a mix of activities for community members. Shima promised there will be something for everyone and every interest level.
“It’s very inclusive and open and ranges in age from zero all the way up, so we really want to make it inclusive as an event,” she stated. “There will be a charge for certain things, but they’re very low cost. We try to make them low cost for everyone to enjoy.”
She said the concept for the festival stemmed from City council’s strategic priorities and desire to increase events and community engagement in 2023, as the community continues to emerge from restrictions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years.
“The goal for the event is to have that connection and sense of belonging and also bring that vibrance and identity of Airdrie [to the festival],” she said.
The festival will feature a plethora of food on offer for attendees, including hot dogs and hot apple cider courtesy of Davis Chevrolet GMC Buick, with donations going to the BGC Airdrie youth club.
Additionally, flapjacks and maple syrup will be set up at stations hosted by Smitty’s restaurant. Proceeds will support the Airdrie Food Bank.
“We will also include maple taffy on snow as an experience,” she shared. “We also have smaller smores roasting at the bonfires and coffee roasting experiences happening as well.”
The second aspect of the event will include traditional Canadian winter activities and sports.
“We’re really encouraging the community to bring out sleds and toboggans to go down the hill, snow dependent and then we’ll also having skating involved,” she said.
Shima announced the City’s new cross-country ski trail at Chinook Winds Park will also be open, weather pending.
“The City is going to be promoting and educating the community about the activity,” she said. “There will be a group there with information and demonstrations. It’s really just providing that education and knowledge of this new activity in Airdrie.”
Additional activities on offer include axe throwing hosted by Rival Axe Throwing, a pet fashion show courtesy of Airdrie Puppy Pals Dog Daycare and Training, horse-drawn wagon rides, and live D.J. entertainment.
Those who are interested in learning more about the event, or would like to keep up to date on weather-related changes, are encouraged to visit airdrie.ca/cabinfever
