Where is the world’s most popular winter festivals? Contrary to popular opinion, winter is jam-packed with the most entertaining events that go down every year. The winter solstice is the time at which the sun appears at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon. Around the winter solstice, the period of time is known as the holiday season because many holidays and celebrations of different religions and cultures take place around this time.
A large number of festivals held annually in the world, but here we make a list of top ten most popular winter festivals from around the world. Most of these fun-filler exhibitions takes place during the winter or late autumn. Below is a list of some of the most popular winter festivals.
Top 10 Most Popular Winter Festivals in the World:
10. The Sapporo Snow Festival – Japan
The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of Japan’s largest winter events. The festival held annually in Sapporo, Japan, over seven days in February. It attracts a growing number of visitors from Japan and rest of world. Every year, more than 2 million people come to Sapporo to see a large number of splendid snow statues and ice sculptures which line Odori Park, the grounds at Community Dome Tsudome, and the main street in Susukino.
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9. Fiesta Pescado Blanco – Montana
Fiesta Pescado Blanco, which means “white fish party” in Spanish. This is an annual weekend of street and ski parades, winter sports like ski-racing, skijoring, ice hockey and the annual Penguin Plunge which is a frigid dip in Whitefish Lake. National Geographic Traveler magazine named the Whitefish Winter Carnival as one of the top ten winter carnivals around the world.
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8. Altitude Festival – Mayrhofen
This festival presents snowboarding, comedy and music. Hosted by veteran comedians Marcus Brigstocke and Andrew Maxwell, the pair will keep you laughing and dancing throughout your time. The festival first launched in 2008 in Meribel, France, and two years ago it moved across the Alps to Mayrhofen in Austria. Now this festival attracts the biggest names in comedy.
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7. Saranac Lake Winter Carnival – New York
A union of winter sports competitions as well as offbeat contests, concerts, fireworks, and a parade. But the centerpiece of this 115-year-old fete is an elaborate ice palace built by volunteers with ice blocks from Lake Flower. The festival Scheduled every year from January 31 to February 9.
See also; Top 10 American Festivals You Need to Attend Once in Your Life.
6. Winterlude – Ontario
This festival transforms Canada’s capital into a paradise of hot chocolate stands and ice sculptures during the dreariest time of year. This festival scheduled from January 31 to February 17 every year. The festival features around the frozen Rideau Canal Skateway, home of the Beaver Cup Hockey Classic, skating demos, a winter triathlon, and the quirky bed race. Families create a route to the Snowflake Kingdom in Gatineau for its snow slides. Within the evenings, native chefs and winemakers blow their own horns Ontario’s bounty in multicore dinners.
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5. Quebec Winter Carnival – Canada
One of the largest festivals of the world is the Quebec Winter Carnival held in Canada. The festival’s events include a winter amusement park, with attractions such as; Skiing, snow rafting, ice sculptures, snow sled slides and outdoor shows. And the festival usually held in February. It is steeped in tradition. Amateur and professional teams race canoes on the icy surface of the St. Lawrence River. Artists from all around the world compete in an eye-catching snow sculpture competition.
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4. Dartmouth Winter Carnival – England
The Dartmouth Winter Carnival, launched at first as a field day for students in 1910. It has now became an iconic event in New England. The visitors are invited for horse-drawn sleigh rides and to a skating party filled with some great live music. Crowd cheer on Division 1 ski competitions or watch amateur athletes wearing capes, pajamas and other costumes. Also competing in a 3K ski race and human dogsled races.
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3. Brits Music and Winter Festival – Switzerland
The Brits Festival provides its visitors with an entire week of music and skiing bonanza for all ages and sizes. There are some amazingly affordable packages that let you ski, sleep and party all at the same time. Some of the best international music artists, singers and DJ’s keep you pumped up with great live music. Everybody is eligible to enter the British Open Championships for skiing and snowboarding.
2. Boo Soo Winter Carnival – Ontario
The Bon Soo Winter Carnival is an annual winter carnival in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The carnival, held in february every year. This festival has began in 1964. Now it has grown to become one of Ontario’s top 50 festivals as well as Canada’s second largest winter carnival next to the Montreal Carnivale in Quebec. This 10-day festival is filled with downhill canoe races and bum slides. Events are capped off with an annual polar bear swim. When some 200 chauvinists brave a dip in the ice-cold waters of Lake Superior.
1. Fur Rendezvous – Alaska
Fur Rendezvous is a 10-day celebration of Alaskan life. It includes some amazing events like the running of the reindeer and sled dog races that draw crowd from all around the globe. Furthermore, it provides a wide array of outdoor sports such as; Snowshoe softball, ice hockey, and a frostbite footrace. Also, it is an annual self-styled winter festival. And also the “largest winter festival in North America”. It held in late February.