Don’t just endure winter, embrace it. Find joy in it. 

Point your car toward Bracebridge, two hours north of Toronto for the annual Fire and Ice Festival. Now nine years in the running, Fire and Ice has become one of the most distinctive winter events in cottage country. 

Fire and Ice 2026 takes place on Jan. 31. As the name implies, the event includes elements of both ‘fire’ and ‘ice’. The ‘fire’ aspects include stunning performances by talented fire artists, firepits where you can warm yourself and roast marshmallows, and a spectacular fireworks display at 6 p.m. 

But its winter, so the ‘ice’ elements take centre stage. There are interactive ice displays perfect for taking selfies alongside ice skating at Memorial Park, and ice sculpture carvings.  

The centrepiece of the event, the attraction around which everything orbits, is the massive snow tubing hill. It’s like nothing you’ll have seen before. 

Bracebridge’s Manitoba Street slopes steeply down to Taylor Street, a hill that has pedestrians huffing as they browse the many stores in the downtown core. A decade ago, someone in town had the idea that this sloping street would make an ideal tubing hill if not for the cars. This idea inspired the first Fire and Ice event. 

Manitoba Street is shutdown for the day and covered with seventy-five truckloads of snow to create an artificial, 200-ft.-long tubing run, one of the longest in Ontario. Here, tubers scream in delight as they race down Bracebridge’s main street with storefronts whizzing past on either side. Zipping down it is sheer exhilaration. While Fire and Ice festivities continue after dark, the tubing run closes at 5 p.m., so be sure to line up early (and often!). 

Attendees can look forward to a lineup of performances and live shows throughout the day, including buskers, singers, and The Great Canadian Lumberjack Show with demonstrations of mastery with the chainsaw and axe.

It’s a long day of fun. Thankfully, there are plenty of food and beverage options to sustain you, including a pancake breakfast and food trucks offering a range of flavours. Warm yourself with hot chocolate or satiate a sweet tooth with maple taffy. Adults can head over to the Bracebridge Hall for the all-day Biergarten. Of course, restaurants and cafes along Manitoba Street remain open as well for a sit-down meal. 

Tickets cost $8 per person when purchased in advance via the Fire and Ice App, or $10 at the event. Kids 5 and under are free. 

Visit fireandicebracebridge.com for additional information, including the location of parking lots in town and details on shuttle bus services.