Carnaval de Québec

Quebec Winter Carnival Carnaval de Québec
Bonhomme Carnaval in 2011
Genre	Festival
Begins	End of January
Ends	Mid February
Frequency	Annually
Location(s)	Quebec City
Country	Canada
Website
Carnaval de Québec

The Quebec Winter Carnival or the Carnaval de Québec is a festival held in Quebec City.

After being held intermittently since 1894, the Carnaval de Québec has been celebrated annually since 1955. That year Bonhomme, the mascot of the festival, made his first appearance. Up to one million people attended the Carnaval de Québec in 2006 making it the largest winter festivals in the world.

The most famous attractions of this winter festival are the night-time and daytime parades led by mascot Bonhomme Carnaval. The parades wind through the upper city, decorated for the occasion with lights and ice sculptures.

Numerous public and private parties, shows and balls are held across the city, some of them outside in the bitter cold, testimony to the Québécois' fabled joie de vivre.

Other major events include:

Outdoor dance parties are held at the Ice Palaces.

Also not part of the official program but worth a visit or a stay, the Quebec City Ice Hotel is open every year from early January to late March with its bar, nightclub, exhibition galleries and ceremonial chapel.

Ice sculpture (2005)

Family venue (2006)

Ice Palace (2009)

Parade in Montreal (2011)

Canoe race (2011)

Ice Palace (2011)

Toboggan at Terrasse Dufferin

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Wikipedia