ÉMILIE LOPEZ

The PotashCorp WinterShines festival offers activities that are sure to beat those winter blues. Taking place along the scenic South Saskatchewan river, WinterShines hopes to turn the chill of the Saskatoon winter into a warm and inviting event for people of all ages.

WinterShines runs from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1 and kicked off with the establishment of a garden of ice sculptures. The delicate use of chainsaws led to the creation of these frozen masterpieces, which are incredibly enchanting due to their detailed and lifelike appearance.

Masters of ice carving Takashi Ito and Tom Pitt created the frozen artworks during an exciting ice fight. Some of the resulting pieces are quite funny — such as the minions from Despicable Me and Frozen’s Olaf — while others are more serious and majestic, such as a knight on a horse, a dragon and a fairy. Nevertheless, all of the statues are incredibly delicate and impressive. Be sure to check out these beautiful creations before they melt away!

The first day of the festival also gave viewers a great opportunity to watch Peter Fogarty from Fire & Ice Creations build a fire inside an igloo. Mixing two elements together, Fogarty’s work produced a unique bonfire that seemed almost magical when contrasted with the ice of the igloo.

For those who love such frosted pieces of art, a second showcasing of ice carvings will be held at the Frosted Gardens event. Scheduled to start Jan. 30, a new set of ice creations will be set up on the grounds of the iconic Delta Bessborough Hotel. Ice carvers from across North America will have their work fill the beautiful snowy garden and be enhanced by coloured lights and music.

The Frosted Gardens, while working in conjunction with the WinterShines Festival for its closing weekend, will remain open until Feb. 15 to allow attendees to explore its many wonders and attractions such as ice bowling, an ice maze, an ice graffiti wall, climbing wall, rink and luge.

Right outside the doors of the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, festival-goers of all ages can visit ponies and feed goats in the petting zoo. Sleigh rides are provided during the weekend along Sonnenschein Way.

For the legal drinking age crowd, WinterShines provides a fully stocked ice bar and vodka luge that are open until 10 p.m. in the Bessborough gardens.

After a walk among the sculptures or a good time of ice skating on the Cameco Meewasin Skating Rink, you can appreciate the relaxing warmth and large variety of delicious food at the market. Chocolate, teas, cakes, jams and popcorn are among the many products available for purchase — everything you need to satisfy your appetite, tease your curiosity and delight your tastebuds!

During the week, events are organized in the Farmers’ Market to promote chefs and artisans from Saskatoon and Saskatchewan. On Jan. 28, festival-goers tasted a large variety of soups during the Warm the Heart Professional Soup Cook-Off while enjoying some bluegrass and old-timey music. This event, while of course being delicious, is also generous as part of the proceeds will go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Also, don’t miss the opportunity to try unique snow sports and games. On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, come on down and try your hand at the snowshoe biathlon, a game of indoor hockey, human curling, kicksledding — a Scandinavian pastime that involves pushing a chair mounted on skis — or an exciting game of spikeball, which is a variation of volleyball played with a trampoline-like net in the centre.

The 2015 WinterShines festival promises children and adults endless fun through a wide range of activities in a beautiful winter wonderland. Come and watch the ice sparkle both in the sun and in the coloured lights, play exciting sports and taste local flavours!