Icewine festival promotes cool snaps
Say Freeze.
That might as well have been the instructions of countless photographers capturing friends, family and strangers with ice sculptures in Niagara-on-the-Lake this weekend.
The cool, picture-perfect objects were dotted throughout the Original Icewine Festival on Queen Street and managed to keep their shapes Saturday in above-zero temperatures.
“It was warmer in the morning. It’s cooling down now,” said volunteer and Niagara College student Lindsay McCormick, who was snapping photos non-stop for visitors posing in a large picture frame made of ice that only had a few drips.
“Everyone’s having a good time.”
While the festival has featured an ice bar and a giant bottle sculpture in the past, the photo sites were a new feature at the 23rd annual event and were marked by giant balloons. Visitors were encouraged to upload their photos on Instagram or other social media sites using the hashtag #IcewineNOTL.
“We’re really trying to engage people more,” said Janice Thomson, executive director of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event.
“We have a beautiful sofa made of ice, it’s gorgeous, and then we have a large snowglobe and a large picture frame.”
There were also 2.1-metre-tall ice pillars filled with corks at the entrance and bottles of icewine encased in two large ice walls.
“Usually we’re worried it’s not too warm,” Thomson said. “When the sun comes it really attacks the ice. That was our issue last year, we lost our ice on the first day. We’re hoping to keep it for the two days this year.”
She said 15,000 people were expected to visit the festival over the course of the weekend.
Icewine festival attendance is geared to repeat visitation and word of mouth, but getting people engaged on social media isn’t just about attracting visitors.
“It’s not always about selling next weekend’s event, it’s about maintaining that awareness of Niagara-on-the-Lake and the wineries because they’re open every day of the year,” Thomson said, adding the festival lets the wineries showcase what they do.
While people may see the photos and plan a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake’s wineries later in the year, those attending the festival often head out to the wineries, too.
“The stop on Queen Street isn’t necessarily all people are doing. They’re checking in here, they’re seeing what’s available and then they go out on the Wine Route and discover some of the unique settings themselves.”
That’s what Andrena Baksh and Ann Drzazga from Toronto have been doing yearly for seven years or so as they drive up Highway 55 into the Old Town for a mini trip.
“It’s just the whole atmosphere,” Baksh said, explaining why they keep coming back. “The street closed off, ice sculptures when they’re not melting … We’ve seen the new wineries pop up and we check them out, too.”
Two dozen Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries participated in the icewineonly event, along with restaurants that brought foods to pair with the wine. Along with the ice sculptures, there were fire pits to warm up around and entertainment that included musicians and a juggler.
The festivities continue next week with the White on Ice Dinner outdoors on Queen Street on Friday night, followed by an outdoor festival Saturday and Sunday on Queen Street that allows other VQA wines, along with beer and cider, to join the popular icewine offerings.
Thomson said what she loves is the enthusiasm of the people who come from the wineries to pour the wine and interact with the guests.
“I know that’s what they’re trained for but they are exceptional at it,” Thomson said. “They treat every guest as if it’s the first time they’ve given the story of icewine. They love sharing that story with people — how unique it is as a product.”