Frozen Festivals and Cozy Hideaways: Things to Do in Winnipeg in January When Canada's Thermometer Surrenders

Frost-Bitten Fun: Essential Things to Do in Winnipeg in January

January in Winnipeg isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it rewards the brave with experiences that make for better stories than another beach vacation. The city doesn’t just survive winter – it curates it, packages it, and serves it up with a side of hot chocolate that actually means business.

Skating on a Frozen River (Like It’s Perfectly Normal)

The Red River Mutual Trail at The Forks frequently claims bragging rights as the world’s longest naturally frozen skating path, stretching over 5 miles when conditions cooperate. This isn’t your neighborhood rink – it’s a legitimate transportation route masquerading as recreation. Skate rentals run $5-8, and the trail operates from 9am-10pm daily, weather permitting (which in Winnipeg means “unless it’s so cold the ice might shatter”).

What elevates this experience beyond mere skating are the warming huts – architect-designed shelters that transform the riverbank into an outdoor art gallery. These structures range from minimalist Scandinavian-inspired retreats to whimsical creations that would make Willy Wonka question his design choices. After your extremities demand mercy, The Forks Market offers sanctuary with local food vendors and a craft beer hall where skaters compare which parts of their faces they can no longer feel.

Dine on a Frozen River at RAW:Almond

Only in Winnipeg would someone think, “You know what would make dinner interesting? The constant threat of hypothermia.” RAW:Almond is a pop-up restaurant on the frozen river that serves multi-course meals from top chefs in a heated tent perched atop ice thick enough to support your existential questions about life choices. At approximately $120 per person, it’s not cheap, but neither is therapy for the FOMO you’ll experience missing this genuinely unique dining adventure.

Reservations open in December and sell out faster than parkas at a January clearance sale. The experience typically runs from late January through early February, offering a rotating cast of chefs who somehow create culinary masterpieces in conditions that would make most restaurant professionals reconsider their career path.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (With Snow-Covered Moral High Ground)

This architectural marvel stands as a beacon against Winnipeg’s winter sky, its glass “Tower of Hope” reaching toward the heavens like a prayer for spring. The $18 admission fee buys you not just world-class exhibits on human dignity and resilience but also blessed central heating. January 2024 features special exhibitions on Indigenous rights and environmental justice that gain poignant context when viewed against the harsh landscape visible through the museum’s panoramic windows.

The contrast between the frigid exterior and the metaphorical warmth of humanity inside creates a philosophical experience unique to winter visits. Plus, the view from the Tower of Hope showcases the snow-covered city in all its crystalline glory – a perspective that summer visitors will never understand.

Thermëa by Nordik Spa-Nature (Where Freezing is Part of the Treatment)

Nothing says “I’ve embraced winter” quite like voluntarily exposing your barely-clothed body to sub-zero temperatures as part of a spa experience. Thermëa ($65-85 entry) has perfected the Nordic thermal cycle where guests alternate between hot pools, saunas, and cold plunges – with the January atmosphere providing an authenticity no air conditioning could match.

The signature experience involves sweating profusely in a 220°F sauna, then stepping outside where the frigid air instantly crystallizes the moisture on your skin, creating a momentary personal snow cloud before you plunge into a cold pool. Add falling snow while you soak in an outdoor hot tub, and you’ve achieved peak winter wellness that would make even Scandinavians nod in approval.

Festival du Voyageur (Winter’s Mardi Gras)

While primarily a February event, Festival du Voyageur sometimes extends into late January, offering a preview of Canada’s largest winter festival. Centered at Fort Gibraltar, this celebration of French-Canadian culture transforms the St. Boniface neighborhood into a snow-covered party where flannel-clad revelers embrace temperatures that would shut down schools in Texas.

Daily tickets run about $20 (full passes $45) for access to ice sculptures that defy both gravity and common sense, traditional foods like tourtière and poutine, and the signature activity – maple taffy pulling, where hot syrup is poured on snow to create nature’s most perfect candy. The festival’s mascot, a mustachioed voyageur named Léo La Tuque, poses for photos with visitors who quickly learn that smiling for too long outdoors can lead to facial freezing.

FortWhyte Alive (Where Wildlife Handles Winter Better Than You)

Nothing puts human winter complaints into perspective quite like watching a bison herd stoically graze through snowdrifts. FortWhyte Alive offers 640 acres of prairie landscape where visitors can snowshoe ($15 rentals) across frozen lakes, cross-country ski through forest trails, and observe wildlife that makes winter survival look embarrassingly easy.

Guided tours reveal how local animals adapt to extreme conditions – from the bison’s thermal undercoat to the remarkable metabolic adaptations of chickadees that somehow maintain body temperature despite weighing less than an ounce. The visitor center provides both educational exhibits and a strategic warming point, with large windows that allow wildlife viewing without testing your personal cold tolerance.

Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq (Cultural Warmth in an Ice Box)

Home to the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art, the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq offers a particularly appropriate January experience. For $12, visitors can explore galleries featuring works from artists who understand winter not as a season but as a way of life. The recently opened Qaumajuq center specifically highlights art from northern Indigenous communities, with many pieces directly addressing themes of survival, adaptation, and finding beauty in frozen landscapes.

January 2024 exhibitions focus on climate change and traditional knowledge, presented in a building whose undulating white exterior mimics the snowdrifts accumulating outside. The juxtaposition of ancient winter wisdom with contemporary climate concerns creates a thought-provoking experience that enhances appreciation for both art and heated indoor spaces.

Royal Winnipeg Ballet (Graceful Movement Despite Multiple Layers)

Canada’s oldest ballet company performs throughout January with productions that range from classical repertoire to contemporary works. Tickets ($40-120) offer access to world-class performances and, more importantly, a culturally acceptable reason to dress formally in winter – a rare opportunity to wear something other than thermal layers and snow pants.

The company’s winter programs often include pieces that subtly reference the season, whether through Tchaikovsky’s snow scenes or more modern interpretations of winter themes. The combination of precise athletic movement and the audience’s collective appreciation for any activity that doesn’t involve shoveling creates an atmosphere of refined escapism.

Winter Brewery Tours (Because Hydration is Different Here)

Winnipeg’s craft brewery scene has exploded in recent years, providing essential winter services in the form of tours, tastings, and heated taprooms. Little Brown Jug’s restored warehouse space and Trans Canada Brewing Co.’s expansive facility offer $15-25 tours that explain not just brewing processes but how extreme cold affects everything from fermentation to delivery.

The breweries serve as community gathering spaces where locals discuss snow removal strategies over flights of experimental ales. Many breweries create special winter releases – imperial stouts, barleywines, and other high-ABV options that function as internal antifreeze. For visitors looking for things to do in Winnipeg in January when temperatures drop below -25°F, these tours provide cultural immersion with minimal frostbite risk.

Ice Fishing (Where Patience Freezes Over)

For the truly adventurous visitor, guided ice fishing excursions on Lake Winnipeg offer a quintessential Manitoba winter experience. Half-day guided trips (approximately $180) provide all necessary equipment, transportation to prime fishing spots, and heated shelters that prevent your fishing line from becoming the only frozen thing on the expedition.

Target species include walleye, northern pike, and yellow perch, all of which somehow remain active despite swimming in water just above freezing. Guides share local knowledge about lake conditions, fish behavior in winter, and subtle signs that distinguish a bite from the sensation of your fingers going numb. The experience culminates in the peculiar pride of catching dinner through a hole in the ice – a survival skill that remains impressive despite being entirely unnecessary for modern humans.