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This Valentine’s Day you can attend the Winter Shines festival, grab a hot chocolate and watch the stars through the telescopes at the Winter Shines festival.
New this year, visitors can sign up for a three-on-three ball hockey tournament or come test their skills in a 500-piece puzzle competition.
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The eight-day winter festival kicks off this Saturday at the city’s Gather Local Market and will feature ice carvings, sleigh rides, a petting zoo and an ice slide.
“It’s Saskatoon’s most amazing festival,” said festival director Shad Ali.
“I say it’s like the city giving itself a warm hug in the heat of winter.”
The annual shop showdown is set to return on Sunday. Ali said tickets to attend the soup competition have already sold out, but noted the winner is invited to compete with the Culinary Chefs Federation at TCU place on Wednesday.
He said it will be the city’s top chefs competing for the title of “YXE’s soup master of 2026.”
Ali said carvers start work on ice sculptures weeks in advance, adding the warm temperatures the city has seen this year have had an impact.
“As fast as we brought in new snow, it was (already) melting, and the ice gets a little soft and harder to carve,” Ali said. “The carvers have been working overnight and early mornings.”
“This year, we’re going to ask folks to keep their hands off the sculptures and not rub them and things that will allow them to last through the entire week,” he said.
Last year Ali said around 29,000 people attended the festival and expects the same turnout this year. He also added that the festival is free.
“It’s one of our gifts to the city, so come out and enjoy everything that there is out there,” he said.
The Winter Shines festival has more than 90 different events and activities that take place over the eight days.
