How downtown Winnipeg is being transformed into a winter wonderland
Downtown Winnipeg is set to get a cool makeover next month but first, it needs ice.
The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is spearheading the Winter Wonderland initiative, which will once again bring a series of dazzling ice sculptures to the neighbourhood.
To make the icy exhibits possible, Sputnik Architecture harvested ice from the Red River on Wednesday to turn into cool works of art.
“We're going to be pulling blocks of ice that are 90 centimetres by 180 centimetres wide, and they're the depth of the ice, which is 16 inches,” explained Peter Hargraves with Sputnik Architecture.
Harvesters were armed with a loader, chainsaws and shovels to extract the cubes, which weighed over 1,000 pounds.
Harvesters were armed with a loader, chainsaws and shovels to extract the cubes, which weighed over 1,000 pounds. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)
Now that they have the raw materials, sculpting will start in early February and will be done on-site – a process that is open to the public.
“We encourage everybody to come out and take a look,” said Jori Pincock with Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. “They'll be ice sculptures at Hydro Plaza, True North Square, along Graham Avenue, Millennium Library and Holy Trinity Church.”
Harvesters pulled cubes of ice that weighed over a thousand pounds from the Red River Wednesday. Now that they have the raw materials, sculpting will begin in early February. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)
Once the sculptures are finished, Kendrick’s Outdoor Adventures will offer free fat bike tours of downtown Winnipeg.
The BIZ says other events and programming will also be announced in the coming weeks.
“The goal is to bring people downtown and enhance their experience and celebrate our winter city,” Pincock said.
- With files from CTV's Scott Andersson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.