Here are a few answers to the questions we’re most frequently asked about the Québec Winter Carnival.
- When is the next Carnival?
- How can I get the Bonhomme Effigy Pass?
- What's up today?
- Where and when can I get the Carnival program?
- Where can I get tourist information?
- Where are the Carnival sites?
- I'd like to see Bonhomme during the Carnival. Where should I go?
- Will there be a place where I can get warmed up?
- What routes will be taken by the two night parades?
- Can I get a meal on-site?
- I need promotional material for my classroom. Whom should I contact?
- Will there be special access for the mobility impaired?
- Will there be washrooms and tables for baby changing?
- Should we book ahead for certain activities?
- Where can I buy Carnival decorations and souvenirs?
- I'd like to go to the Carnival. Which weekend would suit me best?
- Can I bring my dog to the Carnival sites?
The 59th edition of the Québec Winter Carnival will be held from January 31 to February 16, 2014. The Carnival parades will be held on February 8th (Charlesbourg) and February 15th (Upper Town).
The Bonhomme Effigy* will be your pass to 17 days of festivities at 2 major sites. For only $15 (CAN), you’ll have access to over 300 activities and shows in addition to being given many privileges. Beginning in early January 2014, the Bonhomme Effigy will be available at over 450 retail outlets in the Québec City area (Couche-Tard, Uniprix, SAQ, etc.). It will also be available at Carnival offices during the December holiday season. During the event, the Effigy will be sold on-site.
* Effigy: a little plastic figurine of Bonhomme Carnival that you wear on your coat. Sales of this figurine are the main source of Carnival funding.
To get the line-up of activities during the Carnival, go to the Web site calendar (online in January) and click the dates that interest you. For further information, please call Info-Carnival toll-free at 1-866-422-7628.
The complete program will be online in January 2014. Your can consult it by date or by alphabetical order.
Phone Info-Carnival toll-free at 1-866-422-7628 for information about the Carnival program, for a hotel reservation, or for more specific information you’ll need to plan your stay.
Feel free to visit the Web site of the Québec City Area Tourism and Convention Bureau and the Tourisme Québec Web site.
An information center will be available on-site during the Carnival, in the Information Chalet.
In the heart of Old Québec.
- Plains of Abraham (Place Desjardins), the main site: slippery slope, snow sculptures, snow rafting, dogsledding, children’s site, etc.
- Place D’Youville: skating with Bonhomme, Calgary Stampede Flapjack Breakfast
Bonhomme will be on hand for all major Carnival activities, notably during the special weekend activities (e.g., parade, canoe race, snow bath, etc.). From start to finish, he’ll be walking around everywhere on the sites. Three nights a week, he’ll also be skating at Place D’Youville. Feel free to ask at the Info-Carnival stand on the plains of Abraham.
All sites will be outdoors, so the activities will take place almost entirely outside. You can get warmed up, however, inside the Sépaq Tent and the SAQ Bistro, on the plains of Abraham.
The first Parade will be presented on February 8 (Charlesbourg) and the second Parade (Upper Town), on February 15. The Night Parades route plans will be available online in January 2014.
Yes you can. Just go to the heated Sépaq Tent on the plains of Abraham. You’ll find several tables and some fast-food stands. But remember: First come, first served!
The school kit is available on our Web site in “Carnival at school/Game books”. Just print it out and make photocopies for your students.
No special access will be available for the mobility impaired because all sites will be outside. Nonetheless, to ensure security and site access, snow and ice will be cleared from all routes to the different activities. Access is allowed but the sites will hardly be accessible. There will also be washrooms for the disabled near the plains of Abraham, at La Maison de la Découverte. For security reasons, all motorized vehicles are prohibited on the Carnival sites. If you have special needs, please let us know by writing us.
Yes, the washrooms will be on the plains of Abraham (Place Desjardins). The baby-changing tables will be in the Sépaq Tent, on the plains of Abraham.
For most activities, you won’t have to book ahead. Be sure to read through the program. If you have any specific questions, phone the Info-Carnaval line at 1-866-422-7628.
Carnival decorations and souvenirs will be on sale at shops in Old Québec by mid-December. A shop of Carnival-related products will be set up at the entrance to the plains of Abraham. It will also be possible to order Carnival memorabilia by visiting the online Boutique on our Web site home page.
The Carnival will last 17 days. Each weekend will be packed with activities for every possible taste and for the whole family. The first weekend will feature a spectacular opening ceremony with a musical performance. The high points of the second weekend will be the night parade in Charlesbourg (Quebec City), the Canoe Race and the International Snow Sculpture Competition. Finally, the third weekend will feature you the snow bath, the night parade in Upper Town, and the Painting Symposium, on top of all of the activities that are continually happening throughout the Carnival. In short, any of the three weekends will treat you to a wide range of winter’s frosty pleasures.
