It has been a few years, but an indoor option when you attend this year’s Nutrien WinterShines Festival is back. Event organizer, Shad Ali, explains that WinterShines at Market Square used to have access to what was then the Farmer’s Market building and then there were renovations, but now Gather Local Market is open in that space. Ali says along with the food and local wares, there will also be indoor activities as part of the list of WinterShines events.

Some of the indoor activities include colouring for the kids, an open mic night, a paint night, and the Wide-Open Soup Cook-Off. The Chefs’ Cook-Off will be at TCU Place on Wednesday. Ali says almost all of the activities are free at WinterShines, but you need tickets for the two cook-offs.

Some of the outdoor events include how to take pictures of the northern lights, ice inukshuk workshops, pony rides, the ice carving challenge, crazy carpets, shinny and kick sledding. Ali invites everyone to come out and adds that no matter how cold it is, you just have to dress for the weather, but you can also warm up inside at Gather Local Market. The festival is a community not for profit event.