Wednesday 1 February 2012

Syncrude winterPLAY Festival begins with a bang








Fort McMurray, AB, February 1, 2012 – Proudly supported by Syncrude Canada Ltd., The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Big Spirit, Canadian Heritage, The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and a host of other sponsors and partners; Events Wood Buffalo’s annual celebration of winter returns to Fort McMurray and promises to be the best yet.

“We’re a proud ongoing sponsor of this celebration that offers events and opportunities for everyone in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo,” said Syncrude President and CEO Scott Sullivan. “It’s a fun and unique way to celebrate our region and its people.”

The Syncrude winterPLAY Festival Opening Ceremony on February 14th 7:00pm – 8:00pm kicks off three weeks of activities. All the family favourite events are happening again this year as well as many brand new ones never experienced here before.

Highlights of week one include dynamic B-boy dance duo Champloo, who are traveling all the way from the UK to perform their groundbreaking and award-winning multimedia show White Caps. Following a packed house last July, Down With Webster is back and ready to rock. Master musician Cassius Khan, accompanied by his wife Amika, will perform the incredibly challenging and poignant singing of Ghazal Gayaki while playing Tabla (traditional drums).

Week two is action-packed featuring Hockey Shorts & Puck Bunnies, which promises to be a hilarious hockey party complete with a screening of the movie Slap Shot. Spirit of the West’s front man John Mann returns to his Alternative Folk roots with this stop on his solo tour. The ‘Queen of Canadian Comedy’ and star of The Candy Show, Candy Palmater will be making us laugh with her unique brand of stand-up on Comedy Night. There will be plenty of shopping to be done at the winterMARKETPLACE and plenty of playing to be done at winterPLAYLAND. The world’s first green carnival, Sustainival, offers rides for thrill seekers.

Kicking off week three, Canadian punk rocker Bif Naked will be making an appearance with a rare acoustic performance. The Team Canada DJs promise to spin some of the best dance music around. Juno-award winning guitarists African Guitar Summit bring their ongoing musical conversation to the stage combining different guitar-styles from all over Africa.

This year the Syncrude winterPLAY Festival culminates the first weekend in March down on the SNYE with tons of activities and events for all ages. Executive Director David Whitelock said, “winterPLAY is not only a celebration of winter but a celebration of who we are – one of the most rapidly expanding, culturally diverse communities in Canada.”

Tickets are on sale now. Visit www.winterplay.ca for more information.

Brea Burton
Marketing & Communications Manager
Events Wood Buffalo
Ph. 780-791-1600
bburton@eventswoodbuffalo.com

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