The 37th version of Winterlude kicked off today in the National Capital Region, framed by a beautiful big snowfall yesterday.  The opening ceremony begins at 7:30 Friday evening at the Crystal Garden’s main stage in Confederation Park.  They are painting the event as an electrifying evening with a tribute to Canada's athletes, some pyrotechnics and a dance party. For several hundred Winterlude visitors, though, the fun began hours earlier.

At Jacques Cartier Park this morning, they were heating things up with a little music as hundreds of school children helped launch the opening of Snowflake Kingdom. But what the kids were really there for was some good, clean fast fun on the super slides.

‘That big slide over there,’ says one enthusiastic youngster, as he points to his favorite ice slide. ‘It really turns you around.

‘It’s awesome, awesome,’ says a young mother, surrounded by several adults and kids, ‘It's their first time at Winterlude,’ she says, referring to the woman beside her who is from West Virginia. ‘and we are having more fun than the kids.’

From sliding to snowboarding to a little cultural heritage from Marie-Celine Einish, who is busy explaining the variety of fur pelts in front of her to several children.

‘It’s really nice to get to share a little history about Ottawa,’ she says.

Winterlude has three official sites and runs over three weekends until February 16th. 

‘Tomorrow on the skateway, there's going to be the great Sir John A Macdonald kilt skate,’ explains Denise Leblanc with Canadian Heritage, ‘so hundreds of skaters in their kilts coming out to bear chilly temperatures from 5th Avenue all the way to the NAC.’

Across the Bridge in Confederation Park, carvers from around the world are creating their icy masterpieces.   And visitors from here and around the world will be enjoying the world’s longest skating rink.  Euiob Astekchew is originally from Ethiopia and was on skates today for the first time.

‘I saw a lot of people skating so I have dream of being hockey player maybe,’ says Astekchew.

Trisha Custodio, who moved from the Philippines 5 years ago, is now an enthusiastic skater, anxious to enjoy the winter.

‘I think it's a way for people to embrace winter and not complaining about it,’ she says.

Neither is the National Capital region, which will see a boost to its economy by about $160-million dollars over the course of the next weeks three.

‘So when sometimes it is quiet at this time of year for tourism,’ says Leblanc, ‘this is a really good revenue generator. We will see about 600,000 people on the three official sites and a third of them from outside the region, from international points as well.’

Opening ceremonies begin Friday evening at 7:00 with roaming buskers, the opening ceremony at 7:30 followed by a DJ Dance Party at 8 p.m. featuring Paris & Simo and Video Girl.