Quebec City Winter Carnival

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Bonhomme Carnaval is the ambassador of Carnaval de Québec

The biggest winter carnival in the world, the Carnaval de Québec (known in English as the Quebec City Winter Carnival, also known as plain Carnaval) is a celebration held yearly in Quebec City, Canada with many activities, such as dogsled rides, snow baths, and concerts. Important symbols of the event are the ceinture fléchée, and the official ambassador — a snowman called Bonhomme Carnaval. Festival typically starts on the last Friday of January or the first Friday of February and it continues for 17 days.

The first large scale Carnival was held in 1894, more or less in continuation of traditional Mardi Gras festivities which had been popular everywhere in Quebec, using humbler means and involving smaller numbers of individuals. The Carnaval was interrupted by World War I, the Great Depression of 1929 and World War II. It was held sporadically between 1945 and 1954.

The style of the carnival has changed considerably over the last twenty years, with the emphasis gradually shifting from the election of beauty queens and spectator sports, such as special hockey games, to cultural events and participatory sports.

The carnival hosts an Ice sculpture festival which lasts about three weeks and has grown in a spectacular fashion over the last decade. It now hosts ice sculpting teams from all over the world, in a variety of competitions.

Today, for 17 consecutive days, a multitude of athletic, cultural and participatory activities allow people of all ages to enjoy the countless pleasure of winter.

The Carnival's main sites welcome close to one million participants every year.