Every winter, for a couple of weeks in January, Ottawa becomes a center for celebrating the season. Home to the world's longest outdoor ice-skating venue, Ottawa hosts Winterlude each year, featuring snow sculptures by local teams, ice sculptures, concerts, and ice-skating along the canal.

Thousands of visitors come from all over to take part in the fun, and the canal, well frozen by this time, is packed with people skating along the 9 kilometer skating lane between the Hartwell Locks and the Downtown area. Along the way there are snow sculptures, heated change rooms, huts selling "beavertails" and hot-chocolate, and special performances.

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