Prince Albert Winter Festival president Bev Erickson says a few words at the Tux and Toques gala at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation on Jan. 27, 2024. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Annual festivities

Tux and Toques Gala kicks off 60th Prince Albert Winter Festival

Jan 28, 2024 | 2:18 PM

Friends and supporters of the Prince Albert Winter Festival gathered at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation on Saturday for the Tux and Toques Gala, marking the beginning of the beloved annual winter event.

The night featured a silent auction, a video showing the 60-year history of the festival, and live entertainment from the Strong family: Allison Rae, Rebecca, and Glen.

President of the P.A. Winter Festival Bev Erickson said the excitement level is through the roof for this year’s installment.

“We’re very happy that Mother Nature kicked in a little bit and [has provided] some snow and a little bit of cold, and that makes people excited because when you think of a winter festival, there should be a bit of snow on the ground.”

She added the festival is producing nine indoor shows and will also have the Lake Country Co-op Family Day sliding party, as well as a fireworks display at the Art Hauser Centre, which will also happen on Family Day at 8 p.m.

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With warmer weather on the way just in time for the winter festival, temperatures are expected to hover above the zero-degree mark until next weekend. The abnormal weather is sparking a bit of concern for some of the outdoor events like the popular dog sled races, where Erickson said it’s not the first time warm temperatures have made an appearance during the Festival.

“I’ve been looking back at thousands of pictures in the last little while and back in 1984, I believe, there was no snow on the ground or very little snow on the ground and they still had the dog sled races [and other outdoor events]. That’s something [organizers] will decide much, much closer to the event to see whether or not it’s safe for the dogs to run.”

She continued by saying that a past event is making a return in this year’s festival.

“We’re going to be doing a Junior Trapper event. It used to be pretty big back in the ‘80s and ’90s and that’s being brought back to the trapper stage.”

The Prince Albert Winter Festival begins on Feb. 9 and runs until the Feb. 25.

More information about the winter festival, along with this year’s events, can be found by clicking here.

The 2024 Prince Albert Winter Festival board of directors. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com