.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - More than 4,000 people passed through the Snowking's icy kingdom in March, representing local residents, visitors from around the North and travellers from around the world.

The final weekend featured events on Friday co-ordinated by Federation franco-tenoise, including an evening performance by Le Taiga Band.

Collective 9 videographer Jay Bulckeart shoots footage of James Boraski and Momentary Evolution at the Snow Castle on Saturday night. Bulckeart is producing a 24-minute video of this year's Snowking Festival based on material captured since November. - Daron Letts/NNSL photo

On Saturday, the third annual Iceolation Art Show opened and on Sunday the castle staged a repeat performance of Oddy the Hare, a children’s play organized by Erika Nyyssonen and accompanied by music from The Peekaboo Kazoo. The play was performed five times during the festival.

"The Snowking started as a simple snow fort in the Woodyard," Snowbelle, also known as Elsbeth Fielding, recalled. "The children of the Snowking and Sir Shiverin’ Sam were building a fort and the fathers decided to help and now we have the Snowking’s Annual Winter Festival -- 14 years over a 15-year period."

This year's castle hosted six art shows, two film nights, 10 music nights, a fiddle dance and a wedding. About 35 artists displayed new work in the castle and about 20 bands and soloists performed on the stage.

"After our doors are closed the castle gets its chance to melt," Snowbelle said following the festival's final day. "The King and the crew spend time cleaning and clearing out any wooden structures that are there and anything that won’t melt: electrical wiring, the bathrooms, ticket booth, stage - that sort of thing.

Everything snow and ice is left to the warmth of Mother Nature’s spring sun to melt away into next year’s ideas and hopes for Snowking XV."