Here For It - Winter - Attractions & Events

Winnipeg keeps opening world-class, internationally acclaimed attractions – and 2021 has been no exception.
 
For starters, there is Qaumajuq at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG). You’ll find it downtown attached to the back of the WAG, hugging the building like a snowdrift, along with on the cover of TIME magazine’s “The World’s Greatest Places 2021.” In the issue, the noted publication praises Winnipeg’s cultural output, stating how “Qaumajuq highlights the creative side of Winnipeg.” TIME goes on to praise cultural assets like Canada’s Royal Winnipeg BalletThe Forks’ Warming Huts contest, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s acclaimed New Music Festival.  

All these institutions are providing plenty to enjoy this winter, while there’s even more can’t-miss experiences below too.

​Qaumajuq has brought the world to Winnipeg

​Qaumajuq has brought the world to Winnipeg

TIME aside, the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s $65-million Inuit art centre has been praised across countless esteemed publications, including Forbes, Travel + Leisure, The Globe and Mail, Wallpaper, AZURE and enRoute magazine (to name but a few). For those who have experienced it in person, this should come as no surprise.   

Within you’ll find incredible works from nearly every community in the Arctic in mediums including tapestries, carvings, paintings, photography and even a seal skin spacesuit. The collection – which constitutes the largest contemporary collection of Inuit art in the world – is displayed in a breathtaking manner. Certain galleries that kick snow across the northern landscape, the entrance features a gigantic glass vault that provides immersive viewing points, while skylights on the top floor mimic breathing holes that seals create in the Arctic ice. Plus, every floor of Qaumajuq is seamlessly connected to the WAG, ensuring visitors can get an experience that also includes works from the Renaissance, modern Indigenous art, and all of Canada.

Our Top 10 (at a glance) in winter

Our Top 10 (at a glance) in winter

Qaumajuq at the WAG is part of our Top 10 Attractions, sharing the list with plenty of spaces that are only enhanced come winter.

At the Journey to Churchill the polar bears are really in their element once the temperatures drop and snows cover the massive exhibit. Along with seeing these huge, majestic animals swim overhead in the Sea Ice Passage, you can also find Arctic fox (whose white coats make it admittedly tricky), muskox, snow owls and more amongst its grounds. If it’s chilly, the Zoo’s Toucan Ridge is always there to help you warm up within a balmy setting brimming with birds, amphibians, and monkeys.  

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is also home to the now-annual Zoo Lights Festivals, which lights the place up every evening throughout December with enchanting displays, makers’ markets, live entertainment, and food and drink for the whole family.

FortWhyte Alive provides ample outdoor activities like snowshoeing, skiing, skating and ice fishing, while Thermea by Nordik Spa Nature is always ready to make you relax under a snow-filled sky. The Forks in winter is a veritable wonderland, offering skating on-land under a sea of lights strung from trees, along with down the Centennial River Trail.  

The Manitoba Museum recently underwent $20.5 million in upgrades, with new exhibits and old favourites now set to dazzle; The Canadian Museum for Human Rights always provides an awe-inspiring experience within its stunning architecture; and The Mint hosts tours that are right on the money, demonstrating how millions of coins are made for Canada and countries around the globe.

​All the city’s a stage

​All the city’s a stage

One of our favourite things about this fall was seeing our world-class (and royally approved!) performance groups back on stage.

This winter a few choice shows include Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (Nov 25 – Dec 18) and The Lifespan of a Fact (Feb 9-March 5) at Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, along with The War Being Waged (Nov 3-21) at Prairie Theatre Exchange.  

Dance fans will relish the return of a holiday tradition as Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet stages Nutcracker (Dec 18-28), followed by The Sleeping Beauty (Feb 23-27), while the groundbreaking and internationally celebrated New Music Festival (Jan 22-28) returns with a series of great concerts, including percussion superstar headliner Evelyn Glennie.  

The New Music Festival is the brainchild of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, who too have no shortage of performances slated this winter, covering genres like classical, pops, and productions for kids.

Big events are back!

Big events are back!

The Winnipeg Ice are the hottest team right now in CHL, The Jets are flying at Canada Life Place and the Manitoba Moose are loose with all that affordable, fun AHL hockey. With so much puck to be had, it’s easy to cheer on the home team this winter.   

On top of that, big concerts have returned. For country fans Canada Life Centre has wrangled Dean Brody (Nov 20), Dierks Bentley (Jan 13), and The Glorious Sons (Feb 10), while you can throw in WWE Smackdown for January 21 too. Plus, there’s The Offspring on February 14. The legend Gordon Lightfoot plays Club Regent on November 21; Milky Chance (Nov 25), Bahamas (Nov 27), and Big Wreck (Nov 29) are all at The Burt; and the Centennial Concert Hall hosts City and Colour on November 30. And that’s just one month!

For more on Winnipeg's music scene visit our live music page powered by Manitoba Music.

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Canada R3C 4T7
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