Quebec Winter Carnival postpones opening by one day due to cold weather

Lilianne Doyer does a handstand as revellers participate in the Quebec Winter Carnival's snow bath event, Sunday, February 17, 2019 in Quebec City. The temperature was -9C as they hopped into the snow. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

The Quebec Winter Carnival is postponing its opening by one day due to the extreme cold conditions forecast for Friday.

The organization says that activities will start on Saturday, at 10 a.m, on the three main sites. The "Electro Frette" evening that was set for Friday has been moved to Sunday at 7 p.m.

The Quebec Winter Carnival said Thursday that it decided to postpone the event for "the safety of carnival-goers," but also for field crews "who would be exposed to dangerous cold temperatures."

The organization said it was convinced it was making the right decision "to avoid frostbite and injuries."

"At Carnival as we like to say we are stronger than the extreme cold but smarter than the extreme cold!" said Quebec City Carnival general manager Marie-Ève Jacob in a statement.

The Limoilou night parade will take place as scheduled 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 Quebec Winter Carnival continues until Feb. 12.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 2, 2023