Carnaval de Québec is an annual festival celebrating the winter harvest. It’s a 10-day festivity packed with winter fun activities, held in the beautiful city of Quebec, in the historic area. If you haven’t been to Quebec and want to join the local fun, this is the event to attend. This event has been running for approximately 200 years, and people from all over the country come to join the celebration. The streets are covered with incredible ice sculptures, performance stages, DJs, live entertainment, and the Glacier Palace, the Ice Palace.
When posting BTS on my Instagram (@DjCruze), many of my followers wanted to know how I knew about this festival. Long story short, I’ve known about this festival for many years. However, my luck was to catch it at the right time. And this year, I was able to attend and share my awesome experience.
Disclosure:
Quebec in February is cold, so be sure to wear thermals, heavy clothing, gloves, hats, and your trusted jacket!
Carnaval de Québec stretches over approximately 6 blocks. To access any of the sites, you will need to purchase a one-time pass, which grants you entry to all carnival locations. Tickets can be purchased online, at the hotel you’re staying at, or at a kiosk in front of the main entrance. Upon purchasing, you will receive a map of all the sites, an itinerary of show times, parade schedules, and locations. You will receive an effegi, Bonhomme token, that you attach to your jacket. Bonhomme is the carnival’s mascot; however, if you see him walking around the festival, be sure to take a picture, as he’s a busy character!
Day 1 – Carnaval de Québec
On my first day arriving in Québec, I stayed at a nearby hotel called ‘Le Capitol.’ I chose this place due to its proximity to all the events. On opening day, the festival kicked off with a snowball fight. I certainly didn’t join, but I enjoyed watching it. Later, I took a walk through the Ice Palace and got to see the ice sculptures inside. I’ll mention more about the ice sculptures later in the blog, but for now, I’m going to say “FIRE.” Once you finish the tour of the Ice Palace, the exit leads you to an ice bar. Take the term literally!
This was my first time seeing an ice bar. The bar was carved to perfection, displaying detailed symmetrical patterns and exuding an air of elegance. The bar also offered iced shot glasses to go along with the theme. The servers would pour shots into the iced glasses, and guests would take them. To top it off, a female musician was playing contemporary music with a twist, keeping the vibes fun. It was awesome!
The bar served liqueurs along with spiked hot drinks. Their traditional drinks are the Caribou and Courrier de Bois shots. I tried them all, and I’ll say the Courrier de Bois whiskey was my favorite. In addition, Carnaval de Québec provided a heated tent for anyone cold and wanted to stay warm. Inside, there was a bar offering the same items as outside, along with local IPAs from the area. The tent also offered adult-sized board games for guests of all ages.
Day 2 – Carnaval de Québec
On the second day at Carnaval de Québec, there were more activities and more entertainment than on the first day. In the morning, I made my way to Fairmont Le Château, located in the old city of Quebec, right in front of the St. Lawrence River. The Château is huge with breathtaking views of the city, along with a high-speed sled ride towards the back. The sled ride is deceiving as it looks slow, but with the right weight, you could end up in the river (figuratively speaking). On your way to the sled ride, you’ll find coffee shops and maple syrup lollipop vendors where you can order one for yourself.
Fun fact: The maple syrup doesn’t provide any warmth to the body, but the warm taste of the maple syrup creates a psychological sensation of ‘feeling warm.’
Once the sled ride was over, I participated in some of the activities at the Château before stopping by an Italian restaurant for lunch and waiting for the night’s events.
At dusk, I visited other sites where more outdoor activities were happening, such as silent disco parties, a karaoke stage for anyone who wanted to sing, and ice sculptures for everyone to take pictures with. For those who don’t know what a silent disco party is, it’s a party where everyone who wants to participate must wear headphones. Through the headphones, the music is transmitted from the DJ booth to everyone, and the vibes begin. The karaoke stage was pretty big, and the songs performed were varied, keeping everyone engaged. I will disclose that singing in the cold is not for the faint of heart, and I give everyone the utmost respect! #Bigup
The Iced Sculpture plaza:
At one of the sites, there was a plaza filled with various ice sculptures with incredible detail. The coolest part about the sculptures was watching the artists carve out the ice blocks in teams, ensuring the designs were symmetrical. You could tell that these workers took their tasks seriously and committed themselves to delivering the highest quality of work.
The last stop of my Day 2 adventure was the outdoor festival stage. The stage was located in the heart of Old Quebec City, bringing everyone together at the end of the night for the big dance. I’ll mention that these DJs were dope AF and played a wide variety of mashups! My friend and I had a blast dancing the night away and enjoying the spectacle. My biggest takeaway from the festival was how the DJ interacted with the audience, encouraging them to come closer to the booth. The festival stage was open for 5 hours and could fit over 1,000 people. Unfortunately, we stayed for about 4 hours as we got tired from our daytime activities and all the dancing.
My overall experience:
My Carnaval de Québec experience, overall, was awesome. For someone who enjoys cold weather, this event met my expectations. First, I anticipated the festival to be smaller than it was. Second, it provided all sorts of entertainment for all ages. Lastly, the festival leaves everyone with the impression that embracing the cold isn’t as bad as everyone thinks. The most important question is, “Would you go back?” and my answer is, “Not every year, but every other or third year, I would make the trip.”
Recap:
Ice Bar 
Iced shot glass 
Map of the Carnaval 
Penguin Sculpture from the Palce 
Maple Syrup Lollypop 
Sled Ride 
City of Old Quebec
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