Québec City’s iconic Hôtel de Glace celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and is marking the milestone with a “20 Years of Magic” theme for the season. This must-see venue is composed entirely of ice and snow, and has attracted nearly two million visitors from around the world and hosted almost 70,000 overnight stays in its grand surroundings over the last two decades.

This year, the frozen masterpiece will provide chills and thrills for visitors with a variety of celebratory activities and special events scheduled in honour of the 20th anniversary. Visitors can embark on guided tours of 20 artist-designed suites adorned with spectacular sculptures, sip cocktails in the stylish Bar de Glace and marvel at the icy architecture of the magnificent ice chapel.

New for the 2020 winter season, Québec City has erected warming stations in the Old Town and beyond to provide residents and visitors with communal meeting places to get toasty. The warming stations feature Chalet-style lounge chairs, gas fireplaces, fir trees for wind protection, patio heaters, and cozy cabins designed to offer visitors a respite from the chilly winter weather. Warming stations can be found in a number of high-traffic areas throughout the capital, including Parc Champlain Place d’Youville and Place Richard-Garneau.

Québec City takes centre stage

The hotel gets rebuilt every winter, and features a different visual theme. For this special anniversary year, all of the hotel’s past themes will be reconstructed to form a celebration of its Quebec history. Over 18 artists were involved with making and maintaining the ice sculpture this year.

Every year, about 100,000 visitors come to experience and enjoy North America’s one and only ice hotel. Over the past 20 years, nearly two million tours and close to 70,000 overnight stays have warmed the Hôtel de Glace walls.

With the support of Québec City Tourism, artists have paid tribute to the Greater Québec City area—where the Hôtel de Glace has been located since its very beginning—by creating a vast recreational space, the Fun Zone. It dazzles its visitors with a swirl of lights on ice, an enchanted forest, and a snow sculpture of the Saint-Louis gate. Throughout the Hôtel de Glace, and even in some of the rooms, guests can enjoy sculptures and artworks that evoke the beauty of our region.

Celebrating a milestone –  20 Years of Magic 

The 2020 edition of Hôtel de Glace promises to impress visitors from every continent who come to marvel at the stunning and ever-so-grandiose masterpiece. With its 20 themed suites commemorating 20 years of magic, the Hôtel de Glace is sure to offer guests a breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime winter experience.

To mark its 20 years, the Hôtel de Glace will come alive to host a number of activities and events scheduled throughout the season. Between late December and March 29, 2020, visitors can celebrate this anniversary edition with a tour of the themed suites, ice bar, and ice chapel.

Among the many activities to include on your winter calendar this year, make sure to pencil in Singles Night on February 14, and Arctic Spas’ spring awakening, a family-friendly activity to be held on the last weekend of the season, March 28 and 29.

Guests can do a day visit to the bar and gallery areas, or plan to stay overnight in the hotel guests only section. The Ice Hotel is planning to be open until the end of March, weather permitting.

1 888 384-5524 / info@valcartier.com

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.