What is the Quebec City Winter Carnival?

The Quebec Winter Carnival is the world's largest winter carnival, held annually in late January through mid-February. It includes winter sports, parades, an ice sculpture contest and an ice palace.

The first French colonists of Quebec had a tradition of getting together just before Lent to celebrate with food and drink. This grew until the city inhabitants held the first large winter carnival in 1894.

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The first contemporary Quebec Winter Carnival was held in 1955, and the carnival celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2014. Over the years, organizers have added new events, many celebrating the traditional Quebec lifestyle, including canoe and dogsled races as well as a horse-drawn sleigh race on an obstacle course.