Winterlude 2027: Jan. 29 to Feb. 15 in Ottawa-Gatineau, Three Weekends

Winterlude 2027 runs from Jan. 29 to Feb. 15, 2027, Canadian Heritage says on its Winterlude page (modified Oct. 29, 2026): “From January 29 to February 15, 2027, join us for the 49th edition of Winterlude in Canada’s Capital Region.” The program is not yet announced. Print our one-page Winterlude 2027 weekend planner to keep the dates.

Winterlude 2027 dates by weekday

Canadian Heritage gives the start and end dates. The weekdays, the weekend split and the Family Day label below are computed by us from that range and from Ontario’s third-Monday rule.

Date	What it is
Friday, Jan. 29	Winterlude opens
Saturday, Jan. 30	Weekend
Sunday, Jan. 31	Weekend
Monday, Feb. 1	Weekday
Tuesday, Feb. 2	Weekday
Wednesday, Feb. 3	Weekday
Thursday, Feb. 4	Weekday
Friday, Feb. 5	Weekday
Saturday, Feb. 6	Weekend
Sunday, Feb. 7	Weekend
Monday, Feb. 8	Weekday
Tuesday, Feb. 9	Weekday
Wednesday, Feb. 10	Weekday
Thursday, Feb. 11	Weekday
Friday, Feb. 12	Weekday
Saturday, Feb. 13	Weekend
Sunday, Feb. 14	Weekend
Monday, Feb. 15	Final day; Family Day in Ontario

That is 18 days in all. The three weekends are Jan. 29-31 (starting on the opening Friday), Feb. 5-7 and Feb. 12-15, which runs into Family Day.

Winterlude 2027 compared with 2026

	2026	2027
Edition	48th	49th
Dates	Jan. 30 to Feb. 16	Jan. 29 to Feb. 15
Program	Unveiled Jan. 14, 2026	Not yet announced

The 2026 line comes from Canadian Heritage’s Jan. 14, 2026 news release, which said “The official sites are Confederation Park and Jacques-Cartier Park” and placed Snowflake Kingdom “at the northern part of Jacques-Cartier Park.” Those are last year’s sites; no 2027 sites are announced yet. The 2027 edition starts a day earlier in the calendar than 2026 did.

Is Family Day on the last day of Winterlude 2027?

Yes for Ontario, where Ottawa is. Order in Council 653/2026 says “Family Day, the third Monday of February of every year, is a holiday.” The third Monday of February 2027 is Feb. 15, computed from that rule, which is also the last day of Winterlude. Our Family Day 2027 story covers which provinces list the day, and the Canada statutory holidays 2027 list covers the federal ones.

Will the Rideau Canal Skateway be open?

The National Capital Commission (NCC) says the Rideau Canal Skateway has “a total length of 7.8 km” and that “The skating season typically runs from January to early March, but it is weather-dependent.” No 2026-27 opening date is announced, so Winterlude’s dates do not promise ice on the first day. The 2026 Winterlude listing for the Skateway says: “This is a free event.” Check the 2027 listing when it appears.

What to check before you go

• Canadian Heritage’s Winterlude page for the 2027 program, which is not yet announced.
• The National Capital Commission’s Skateway page for conditions.
• Our January 2027 printable calendars and February 2027 printable calendars to mark Jan. 29 and Feb. 15.