A recovering mountain town is inviting visitors and locals to take part in three weeks of events during Jasper in January from Jan 10 to 26.
Jasper in January returns to celebrate its 36th anniversary and offer more than 100 events to those wishing to embrace the magic of winter.
“The community has really come together to make this festival really special,” Naji Khouri, director of destination development with Tourism Jasper. “[We] really encourage everyone to review what the events are because there's really something for everyone.”
The winter festival will bring back favourites such as the kick-off party on Friday (Jan. 10), the Jasper Pond Hockey Tournament at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, a celebration of Ukrainian culture called Mountain Malanka as well as Whisky, Wine and Hops that will have wines, spirits and beer samples.
Along with skiing and snowboarding at Marmot Basin, which has the new Knob Quad Chair, Jasper in January has other outdoor experiences including the Snowshoe and Fondue Tour and Winter Wonderland Photography Tour.
A major highlight is the new ice climbing wall, which is launching during Jasper in January and will be open all winter.
“Just seeing people walk past and look up and the curiosity of faces is really something,” Khouri said.
The Jasper Curling Club will be celebrating its 100th anniversary and featuring Olympic gold medalist Kevin Martin, and the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum’s Train Mania will have a giant electric train layout set up.
On the cultural side, After Dark is a series of evening music events that are happening throughout town. Jasper’s culinary scene, meanwhile, is showcased by events such as Poutine Showdown and The Tastier Side of Winter.
“The neat part of this festival is everyone comes together from different organizations, businesses and non-profits to offer something for the local community and visitors to really enjoy and partake in,” Khouri said.
The festival culminates with the Street Party along Patricia Street on Jan. 25, which features live music, local vendors and a retro-themed celebration, and ends with a bang with fireworks at 9:15 p.m.
The Street Party will feature live music by DJ Suzanne Summers and the band Major Love with lead singer and songwriter Colleen Brown.
Although the wildfire has taken dozens of hotel rooms offline, Khouri noted there was still availability on weekdays and weekends, adding how there were events throughout both the week and weekends.
Khouri emphasized visitors who choose to come for Jasper in January will not only be entertained but also make a meaningful difference to Jasper by supporting its economy post-wildfire.
“Visitation will make a difference to our social and economic recovery, so [we’re] very grateful for everyone that shown us love and support so far and grateful for those that are planning to make the trip pretty soon,” he said.
A full schedule of events can be found at jasper.travel/january.