Winterfest 2026 continues to be a web of community – even in the most frigid of days

Organizers MJ Thomson, Barb Cottle, Jamie Cottle, Alison Robinson, Gerry Bell and Kelan Herr pose behind Susan Graham and Jeremy Hunt at this year’s Winterfest celebration on Jan. 24. Not pictured are organizers Kate Ahrens, Lance Gibson, Tammy Stoddart and Cameron Ohlman.

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The forecast for Saturday, Jan. 24 called for a low of -22º Celsius, one of the coldest days of January. That didn’t stop this year’s Stratford Winterfest.

“We do it because we love our community,” organizer MJ Thomson told the Times. “We do it for two reasons. One, we all really get along well and we work well as a team. And secondly, we love our community and we think that we make a difference in the winter. I think we make an incredible difference in how people perceive the long winter and having it at the end of January, when it's well past the Christmas buzz, and we're still six weeks out from feeling any kind of warmth, especially this year, I think we make a big difference.”

Originally started in the late ‘90s, Winterfest has been a Stratford staple for nearly 30 years. Over that time, the show has morphed and changed, and Thomson (who is celebrating 18 years as a volunteer) said the most interesting changes have been the people. As families have come and enjoyed the festivities, the kids have grown up and are now volunteers – or the teenagers that used to volunteer are coming back with their own kids.

Additionally, the features of Winterfest have changed. This year, among other shows and stations, John Walker from Fallen Willow Forge did demonstrations throughout the day, as he has in years past. Danielle O’Rourke returned with her ice sculpture demonstrations, carving blocks of ice with a chainsaw throughout the day. Maple Taffy returned, allowing those braving the elements to create their own lollipops from the ice.

Many local businesses and groups were also on hand. Laurie Leduc of Stratford Walking Tours conducted regular tours around Upper Queen’s Park. Rise Run Club held a special Winterfest run.

“It isn't just about getting out and having fun, it's about getting out, having fun and learning something at the same time,” Thomson explained. “The (Stratford) Public Library did an amazing, amazing walking tour this year and was incredibly creative. That was fun. And then there's also the Upper Thames Conservation Authority. They had a representative there with a bunch of animal skins, and they had footprints and all kinds of stuff that were local animals.

“The other thing that's interesting, we've had snowshoes before … and we partner with the Stratford Perth Museum, they provide the snowshoes. And interestingly enough, we put them on a walking path so that they were very visible. They were used more this year than ever.”

Additionally, more organizations helped out than ever. Gallery Stratford allowed use of the shed for the day, allowing Little Tracks Small Animal Zoo to set up shop in a place away from the frigid temperatures.

On that note, Thomson said the aspect that sets Winterfest apart is the buy-in from not only the community, but all the organizations who contribute. From the aforementioned organizations to the other countless organizations which volunteered, Thomson expressed her thanks.

“We couldn't do the event without them,” Thomson professed. “When you look at the partners that we have, it's local and these people participate. We don't pay for them to come. They do it because they can.”

And despite the cold weather that morning, Thomson said people were happy to be braving the weather.

“People had an amazing time … We got a lot of comments near the end of the day how amazing the event was, and that they were really glad that we held it.”