‘We are excited’: Planning for rebranded month-long winter festival on track, city says

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Plans are coming together for Fort St. John’s rebranded winter festival featuring a month of activities and a “dream”-worthy sliding hill. 

The City of Fort St. John first began considering a “reimagined” annual winter festival in September, with staff proposing a rebranding of the High on Ice winter festival.

Among the variety of ideas outlined by staff was a proposal to expand the festival, which has previously been held over the February 16th Family Day long weekend, to last for the entirety of February. 

Staff also recommended a name change from High on Ice to Winter Fest, which the council vocalized their approval for, alongside a major upgrade to the popular ice slides, changing it to a dedicated 260-degree sliding hill. 

According to Heidi Avanthay, programs and services manager of the city, hopes are still high among staff to construct the hill.

“We are so very hopeful with this quantity [of snow] that as long as we don’t get some kind of crazy melting happening, we are going to have the hill of our dreams,” Avanthay said. 

No details have been released at this time, but Avanthay says the month-long festival appears to be coming together. 

“We’ve gotten some connections with local organizations, so we are excited to think that we’re going to be able to fill February, and it’s not just going to be staff, it’s going to be organizations throughout the community,” Avanthay said. 

Avanthay stated staff are scheduled to present a new plan and proclamation request to the city council during the January 26th meeting.