Winter Carnival returns to celebrate Revelstoke’s 125th birthday

A Revelstoke winter tradition returns this March to mark the town’s 125th birthday. Revelstoke Winter Carnival, founded in 1915 by the Revelstoke Ski Club, has gone through various name changes throughout the years, but one thing remains the same between the first-ever Tournament of Champions and the newly-revived Revelstoke Winter Carnival.

“This is about the community,” Allie Bruni, producer of Revelstoke Winter Carnival told Revelstoke Mountaineer. “Bringing everyone together for winter fun and celebrating Revelstoke.”

For Bruni, pictures of the old carnival on social media sparked the idea for a revival, and comments inquiring why the carnival wasn’t still in action spurred her into action. One photo from the inaugural winter carnival really caught her attention.

“I just have this most incredible image of the unveiling of the 1915 Winter Carnival, and it’s like this snow sculpture. It’s really incredible.”

While there is no guarantee of a sculpture that grand this year, a snow sculpting competition hosted by Conometer will be taking place during the festivities.

For both long-term residents and newcomers to town, Bruni hopes the revival of the carnival gives everyone a shared experience and a look into Revelstoke’s history.

“There are so many new people in town that don’t even know about the Spirit Festival which was just 13 years ago,” Bruni said, referring to one of the various names used for the winter carnival. “It’s been really interesting to tell this story.”

The carnival also highlights another key aspect of Revelstoke’s identity: The various organizations that support the community and the drive to help out. Of the fifteen events scheduled for the carnival, over half are currently sponsored by various nonprofits and organizations in town who will keep proceeds from registration fees.Bruni said it’s a way to thank those in the community who have jumped to help in the return of the winter carnival.

“I don’t even have the word for how grateful I am for the support that this event is receiving.”

The revival of Revelstoke Winter Carnival also means the return of a fan-favorite event. The famed outhouse races, hosted by StokeFM, will take place at Centennial Park. Historically conducted on Mackenzie Avenue, the outhouse race’s new location will include one of the park hills, allowing for extra speed.

“We’ll have a little bit of a hill making things a little bit spicy in 2024, having gravity help us,” Bruni said.

Teams will construct an outhouse structure consisting of at least three walls and a roof prior to race day. Outhouses must be able to survive multiple races, contain a seat with a hole and some toilet paper to use and be structured on some style of ski, toboggan or snowboard. 

Other events will include snowmobile skijouring, a rail jam competition, dog sled races, a youth art gallery, live music, a scavenger hunt and more. Entry to many of the events will be free or by donation. Food trucks will be onsite offering warm grub.