Quebec’s winter carnival is the largest in Canada and well worth a visit if you’re in the province during the month of February. Along with a litany of family activities, like snow rafting and snow slides, parades and programs, are the extreme sports activities – great for the armchair sports enthusiast! Perhaps the most exciting is the extreme canoe race on the St.Lawrence River, held every year since the first carnival, in 1955.
The carnival began when a magical ice palace was built for Bonhomme, the carnival’s guest of honour who has become a mascot for French Canada. As an aside, Canada’s national newsmagazine, Maclean’s ran a cover showing Bonhomme carting a suitcase full of money for a story about corruption in Quebec. They later apologized for the controversial cover and for offending readers, but not for the story on corruption.