We remember the old days. When it was fashionable to grumble about the cold. When the most pressing thing was snow removal. When we started the winter season by wondering aloud how soon it would end.
We’re not like that anymore.
Edmontonians are carrying their passion for their city year round. We are bundling up in not only toques and mittens but excitement and adventure. We are embracing the long nights, the winds, the snows and the cold as new companions instead of old enemies.
In a remarkably short time, the WinterCity Initiative has proven a simple truth: You can’t change winter, but you can change how you feel about it. Edmontonians have rallied, and are showing their love for our most exotic season.
The winds of winter, which used to stir up only the snow, now stir the potential in us to take control of our WinterCity.
The long nights, which used to bring only darkness, now bring the will to light up the city. We see more buildings playing with creative lighting, such as ATB and Coast Edmonton House. We attend more festivals that illuminate the winter night, such as All is Bright on 124 and illumiNITE.
The snow and ice, which used to be nothing more than a cold, wet inconvenience, is now a resource to be scuplted into art, patio furniture, toys, games and more. We can enjoy a year-round, snow-carved patio at Cafe Bicyclette. Ice on Whyte sparkles every year with castles, slides and sculpltures. We celebrate residential winterscapes with Front Yards in Bloom Winterscapes.
We are more active than we have ever been. You can look through the Winter Excitement Guide to see a collection of all the wonderful wintery activities that can be part of your winter experience, and it is growing every year.
We are bragging about our hearty winter natures on social media. In fact, this year, tweeting or Instagramming with the hashtag #yegwinterchamp can win you prizes every month. We expect no shortage of pictures.
Instead of living in six months of denial, we are opening our eyes to the possibilities of a city that thrives year round. Our lives, our stories, our economy and our infrastructure are becoming richer, now that we are seeing winter as our friend instead of our foe.
Winter is inescapable, but the emotional climate of our city is warming in the coldest months. We are strong. We are hardy. We are adventuresome.
We are Edmontonians. We live in a WinterCity. And we love it.
