Algonquin student Nusaybah Farrah who is in the developmental services worker program, enjoys her time at the Winterlude festival.

Canal closed due to warm weather

Algonquin student Nusaybah Farrah who is in the developmental services worker program, enjoys her time at the Winterlude festival.
Algonquin student Nusaybah Farrah who is in the developmental services worker program, enjoys her time at the Winterlude festival.

A group of 45 students went downtown to Winterlude on Wed. Feb. 4 to participate in skating and to see the sights.

Many of those in attendance have visited Winterlude in the past years and, due to the mild weather, were not very impressed by the event this year.

“The canal is closed today, so that is a setback,” said Adolphe Hirwan, a second-year construction engineering student.

Luckily for the visitors, the rink of dreams allows for skating fun.

One of the more popular sights at Winterlude was the ice sculptures.

“A lot of the ice sculptures were melting, and only a small section of the grounds were open, so it was not as nice (as previous years),” said Olivia Cartwright, a second-year hospitality and tourism management student, who has attended Winterlude every year since she was a child.

Despite this, most attendees were a fan of the warmer weather.

“It is not that cold, we can enjoy Winterlude,” said Nusaybah Farrah, a first-year developmental services worker student.

“The goal of the event is to give students a chance to socialize as well as give them the opportunity to go to a great Ottawa event,” said Susan Pridmore, the Events Officer at Student Support Services.

Winterlude is taking place from Jan. 29 to Feb. 15 this year.