Belly Up to the Festi-Bar

Pop Up ice bar may be this winter’s hottest ticket

This may be the coolest bar you visit all winter. Starting next weekend, belly up to the bar. The Festi-Bar! This pop-up ice bar is tucked inside the Pavilion Sub Zero, on the Assiniboine River. The frozen river, of course.

Operated by Festival du Voyageur and part of The Forks Warming Hut program, this cold-weather installation may just become the hottest ticket in town. A variety of hot and cold drinks will be served including caribou, a blend of red wine, whiskey, maple syrup and spices.

And as the good forks at Festival du Voyageur like to remind us:

We don’t hibernate, we celebrate!

Like the voyageurs of the fur trade, we laugh in the face of adversity and we persevere. We know when to roll up our sleeves and get to work, but we also know when to lace up our boots and head down to the river for caribou in an ice glass. When the rivers freeze, we park the canoe and take out the snowshoes. We don’t shy away from cold weather, we embrace it and celebrate the best of what winter gives us.

The Festi-Bar opens Friday, Feb. 1. Regular operating hours are Fridays, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m.

All Photos by Kristhine Guerrero