News

For Immediate Release:

[North Bay, ON, February 7, 2023] – The organizers of Ice Follies Biennial Festival are excited to announce a jam-packed schedule of events and activities taking place throughout the month of February as part of the 10th Anniversary Festival. From live performances and artist talks to family-friendly activities and tours, there is something for everyone at this year’s Ice Follies!

This free festival will kick off on Friday, February 10th at 6:00pm at Shabogesic Beach, Lake Nipissing (formerly known as Marathon Beach) with welcoming remarks, followed by a magical, not to be missed opening performance entitled ALL MY R(el)ATIONS by the renowned Indigenous performance group Aanmitaagzi at 7pm. Free refreshments will be available to help warm festival-goers.

The 10th edition of the Ice Follies Biennial will include 11 unique projects created specifically for this one-of-a-kind Northern festival. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience artworks by both local and nationally acclaimed artists, and learn more about their techniques and inspiration. All of the artists will be present on opening night.

On February 20th, the festival will feature a special Family Day lineup of free events, including a kid-friendly Ice Follies Tour at 11am, and VOX on Ice at 1:30pm – a free-to-participate community choir amidst the artworks, facilitated by VOX Choir, performing ‘Cold as Ice’ by Foreigner with punctuations of ‘Ice Ice Baby’ by Vanilla Ice.

In addition, the festival is also offering tours of the artworks and installations. Tours will take place on Wednesday, February 15th at 6pm, Saturday, February 18th at 6pm, Sunday, February 19th at 11am, Monday, February 20th at 11am (free Family Day Kid-Friendly Ice Follies Tour), and Wednesday, February 22nd at 12pm. Regular tours are $10 per person and registration can be done here or through the festival website, ice follies.ca.

Visitors can also hear from the artists themselves during the festival’s free Artist Talk series. On Saturday, February 11th from 1pm – 5pm at the Spotlight Lounge in the Capitol Centre, festival artists Quinn Hopkins, Imogen Clendinning, and Public Visualization Studio will each be speaking. On Thursday, February 16th, Cease Wyss will be giving an Artist Talk presented by Nipissing University at 11am EST via Zoom (link available on icefollies.ca ).

On February 18th at 7pm, gather on the ice amidst the Ice Follies artworks to join a free live-stream listening party of Geronimo Inutiq’s performance – Uvattini Uqaalajunga – J’ Appel chez nous – I Am Calling Home. The live performance, weaving discussions of home from our own community, will be broadcasting from NAISA North Media Arts Centre in  South River.

Ice Follies: nbagzi mkwam (Thin Ice) is a 2 week festival that takes place on frozen Lake Nipissing, off Shabogesic Beach in North Bay. It features a wide variety of ice-based activities and events for the whole family to enjoy. We encourage you to check out the full schedule at icefollies.ca and plan your visit today.