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Canmore Winter Carnival expanding with evening program, new events

“I think that Canmore is in for a big uptake in tourism as a result of The Last of Us. I had friends reaching out from back east asking if that was Canmore in the episode on Sunday. The focus our community has received as a result of the HBO production is going to be big.”

CANMORE – Winter is a beautiful time in Canmore, and the Canmore Winter Carnival is ready to celebrate that this weekend.

Beginning Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. and running until Feb. 26 at 4 p.m., there will be something for everyone at the carnival.

Everything starts with the all-ages party in the park at 6 p.m. Friday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and a family pass is $11.98.

The move into evening events is something new for this year.

“We thought it would be an interesting addition to try out for the first time coming out of COVID,” said Lauren Thomas, events coordinator for the Town of Canmore. “Talking with different age groups, we heard there was a need to diversify the programming beyond what a nuclear family is.”

While the Friday night party is for all ages, the Carnival Cabaret is for adults only. The cabaret will run from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $11.98 per person.

“It is beyond regular family programming because we have a whole diverse population here in Canmore.”

The usual daytime programming will still be held including the flour packing challenge, ice carving challenges, and the kid and mutt race, but a new event will also be held, axe-throwing, which will occur Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.

“You will have the ability to try it out before and if you are good at it, you can jump in and sign up for the challenge,” Thomas said. “We are pretty excited about that.”

The carnival is also switching locations this year to Centennial Park, the Stan Rogers Stage and the surrounding area.

“Initially, I knew there were going to be some biathlon world cup events coming through and we wanted to make sure they had the space they needed at the Civic Centre,” Thomas said. “It made sense for the carnival to go to the stage because of the evening programming we are adding to the roster.”

The new location, and the addition of evening events, bring with it the worry that the public may not like the changes.

“When you are trying something new, there is pressure to make sure it is successful,” Thomas said. “You have to try, be original, be creative and see what the community’s appetite is for something new.”

This will be the first carnival since 2020, which occurred a few weeks before everything shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is also the first major festival for Canmore after the launch of The Last of Us, partially filmed in Canmore.

“I think that Canmore is in for a big uptake in tourism as a result of The Last of Us,” Thomas said. “I had friends reaching out from back east asking if that was Canmore in the episode on Sunday. The focus our community has received as a result of the HBO production is going to be big.”

Even with the changes, and extra attention, and most recently a lack of snow, Thomas says everything will be up and running in plenty of time.

“We have a very big winter display outside,” Thomas said. “It will take some extra work to get everything up and running since we had no snow last week.”

For more information on events, visit: https://canmore.ca/residents/town-events/winter-carnival.

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