December 17, 2004 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Charlottetown's Victoria Park will be transformed into a magical winter wonderland this February as part of the first annual Jack Frost Children's WinterFest presented by The Confederation Bridge. The festival will take place February 11-13, 2005 and will be the largest winter festival east of Quebec City. It is expected that more than 12,000 people from across the Maritimes will travel to Charlottetown for this event. "The Government of Canada is pleased to support this festival which has grown from an idea to a reality in a very short span of time. The considerable efforts of the Capital Commission and the Jack Frost WinterFest planning committee are to be commended," noted the Honourable Shawn Murphy, Member of Parliament for Charlottetown, on behalf of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "We expect, like other events organized by the Capital Commission, this will be another very successful event encouraging Islanders and our neighbours to visit Charlottetown this winter for a great deal of family fun." "Since April of last year, the Capital Commission has been working with the City of Charlottetown, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the provincial government and industry partners to create a spectacular event capable of drawing visitors from off-Island," notes Kim Green, Executive Director of the Capital Commission of Prince Edward Island. "We realized from the very beginning that we would have to think big to draw people across the bridge during the winter. The end result of months of planning is a product that will definitely deliver the ¿WOW! factor.' It is already being dubbed as the largest family celebration of winter in the Maritimes." "Tourism PEI is pleased to support the Jack Frost Children's WinterFest. I am sure that the title sponsor, along with the Capital Commission, will capture the fun and excitement that children experience in the winter," noted Minister of Tourism for Prince Edward Island, Honourable Philip Brown. "This event will allow us to celebrate our unique Canadian winter and offer us a chance to enjoy our winter weather and have fun doing it." "The calibre of entertainment for this festival will certainly draw visitors to Charlottetown this February," says Mayor Lee. "The City is proud to be a partner in this winter tourism event." The pinnacle of the Festival will be the Canjet Snow Kingdom, the home of Jack Frost. It will be a 1,200-square- foot snow castle made from 180 tonnes of snow and 160 crystal clear ice blocks, weighing over 300 pounds each. Along with sleigh rides and buskers to entertain children and their families, the weekend of fun will include: The Treehouse Live Outdoor Stage - featuring performances by Barney¿, Bob the Builder¿ and Markus; performances by Circus Orange presented by The Shops of Confederation Court Mall, a twenty-five minute theatrical spectacle, combining high-level circus acts with dance, fire, music and pyrotechnic effects; the outdoor Family Concert in the Park on both Friday and Saturday evening; the Schurman Magical Outdoor Skating Rink, an 11,000 square foot outdoor rink; the TechnoMedia Snow Maze, a 3600-square-foot creation with over 700 feet of walls that will feature sculpted characters from Treehouse Live and Jack Frost himself; and the Canadian Snow Sculpting Team will bring winter to life at the Snow and Ice Sculpting Demonstrations presented by ATV. The "Jack Frost Flashing Button" will offer admittance to all events taking place during the festival. Advance passes for the entire weekend are available for only $12 plus tax (children 6 months and under will be admitted free) or $19 plus tax at the gate. For those looking for a last-minute stocking stuffer, gift certificates for the festival are now on sale at Customer Service in The Shops of Confederation Court Mall. Buy your weekend pass early and save $7. Families are encouraged to stop by the mall on Saturday, December 18th between 11am and 2pm to meet Jack Frost. Destination PEI has been selected as the exclusive hotel packager for the Jack Frost WinterFest. In January 2005, 2 night hotel packages will be available starting at $220 plus taxes. Special offers will be available exclusively to those purchasing a Jack Frost Hotel Package including: breakfast with popular children's TV characters and exclusive access to the Canjet Snow Kingdom for one hour on Saturday and Sunday. The Jack Frost Children's WinterFest is a project of the Capital Commission of Prince Edward Island. The Capital Commission would like to acknowledge the support of The Confederation Bridge as the festival's title sponsor and especially to our major funding partner, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and the additional financial support provided by the Province of Prince Edward Island and the City of Charlottetown. For more information about the Jack Frost Children's WinterFest presented by The Confederation Bridge, go online at www.visitcharlottetown.com - 30 - Tracey Singleton, Director of Sales and Marketing Capital Commission of Prince Edward Island (902) 566-2549 traceyp@capitalcommission.pe.ca Ron Crozier Office of the Minister Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (902) 888-4150 Wes Harrison ACOA PEI & Tourism (902) 368-0842 wes.harrison@acoa-apeca.gc.ca Sherry MacDougall Tourism PEI (902) 368-5525 Ken Gillis, Councillor City of Charlottetown (902) 566-5548
