Delta’s Winter Wonderland
A Magical Experience for Everyone to Enjoy
By Armaan Basheer
Many might think winter in Thunder Bay is a cold, quiet affair, but this year, warmth cuts through the frost and spreads across the city. November 19 marked the start of Delta’s Winter Wonderland, a festival running through February 28 that promises to paint the Waterfront in happy colours during the darkest months of the year. At the centre of it all is a 25-foot Christmas tree standing across from the Sleeping Giant. Around it, Vikings, nutcrackers, and Santa Claus take shape in gorgeous ice sculptures, many carved live on opening day as families watched.
“This isn’t about putting up a few lights,” says Sam Yang, the hotel manager. “It’s about giving people something to look forward to in the middle of winter. We want folks to remember how good this city can feel.”
Inside the waterfront train station, the Station Market is also getting ready for Winter Wonderland. “Almost all of our vendors are local,” says Sharon McChristie, who manages the market. “Some of them are showing their work for the first time. Others are older artists who’ve been creating for decades and have just never had a place to sell their work in town.”
Winter Wonderland is part of a larger public-private partnership between project management and development company ReSolve Group, the municipality, and federal funders, aimed at making the waterfront a premium destination year-round. At the centre of that partnership is Gisele MacDonald, CEO of the ReSolve Group. “Winter Wonderland will be a celebration of community connection and the pure joy of winter—a magical experience for everyone to enjoy,” she says. “This is part of our commitment to the betterment of the Waterfront and the quality of life for all the people in Thunder Bay.”
Yang agrees. “This is just the start. We want families to come out and see that Thunder Bay can shine just as bright in the colder months as it does in summer.”
For more information, visit facebook.com/deltatbay.
