Opening of Quebec Winter Carnival sites postponed again, to 2 p.m.

The opening of the Quebec Winter Carnival sites has been postponed again, this time to 2 p.m. on Saturday, due to the extreme cold.

"As the first to look forward to celebrating with you, we understand your great disappointment. This is a decision of the head, not of heart," the event's organizers say on the carnival's Facebook page.

The Quebec Carnival was supposed to start on Friday, but the opening had been postponed by a day, initially to Saturday 10 a.m., due to the extreme cold that settled in the province on Friday.

The temperature in the Old Capital was -48 degrees Celsius around 5 a.m. Saturday morning with the wind chill factor, and is expected to rise to -26, or -40 degrees Celsius with wind chill, around 10 a.m., according to Environment Canada's forecast.

The temperature will gradually climb throughout the day to reach -19 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoon, -30 with the wind, according to Environment Canada's forecast, but Sunday should be much more comfortable with a maximum of -8 degrees.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Thursday, Quebec Winter Carnival general manager Marie-Ève Jacob spoke of "truly exceptional circumstances."

She explained the decision to postpone the event by one day for "the safety of the carnival-goers," but also of the field teams "who would be exposed to dangerous cold temperatures."

The organization said it was convinced it had made the right decision to avoid frostbite and injuries.

Jacob said there have been three or four occasions in the last 20 years when sites have been closed due to storms, ice or extreme cold.

"At carnival as we like to say we are stronger than the cold, but smarter than the extreme cold," Jacob said in announcing the postponement of the official opening.

The Limoilou night parade will take place as planned on Saturday at 5.30 p.m. followed by the post-parade. The 'Franco Vidéotron' evening featuring Ariane Moffatt and Alfa Rococo will also be held as originally scheduled on Saturday at 8 p.m.

The 'Electro Frette' evening that was to be held on Friday has been moved to Sunday evening at 7 p.m.

The Quebec Winter Carnival will run until February 12.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 4, 2023.