 | | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | DECEMBER 30th, 2009
MISPON - Winter Light
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| CONTACT: | Kevin Hendricks, Publicist
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780.497.1164 |
Mispon - Winter Light Opening Gala  Mispon – Winter Light Opening Gala ‐ Jan 6, 2010 at City Hall & City Hall Plaza. Winter Light officially launches Edmonton’s winter festival season at Mispon, a light‐hearted Gala in City Hall, January 6, from 4:30 – 7:30 pm. The event is free, and open to the public.
The Gala will officially launch Edmonton’s ‘winter festivals’ season, which features 11 events from January 6 – March 13, 2010. Playing on the event name Mispon ("it is snowing" in Cree), Winter Light’s creative team will present performances and media installations that cheerfully salute Edmonton’s reputation as a snowy winter city. "Snow is one of the best things about winter," says Winter Light director Pamela Anthony. "It’s bright, transformative, and somehow very playful. I think the kid in all of us responds to the magic of snow." Video artists Tim Folkmann, Dean Davey and Matt Vest will create the media interpretations of snow inside City Hall. They have also planned a ‘surprise’ on the theme of snow that will be revealed during the event. Mispon is also an acknowledgement of the Aboriginal heritage of this region, and Cree elder Betty Lafferty will be on hand to provide a blessing and prayer for the festival. "We’ve been very fortunate to have guidance and support from so many wonderful people in Edmonton’s Aboriginal community. They inspire us in exploring the meaning of ‘winter spirit’ and what it means in our community," says Anthony. Outside on City Hall Plaza, Mispon includes an exhibit of Joe Renaud’s ‘fire monsters’, a skating demonstration, and light installations by multi‐disciplinary artist Dylan Toymaker. Inside, the fun includes a cheeky ‘warm up burlesque’ directed by avant-garde theatre artist Kristine Nutting, and music by the rockabilly space cowboy band Johnny Quazar at the Swingbots. Traditional treats with a twist will be offered by NAIT’s Culinary Arts Students. Under the auspices of the Edmonton Arts Council, Winter Light will produce 8 new winter festivals and collaborate with 3 winter festivals (Deep Freeze, Ice on Whyte and Silver Skate) to create a full calendar of winter celebrations. All the festival producers will be on hand for the launch, and will offer a sneak peek at highlights for the winter season. - 30 - JANUARY EVENTS: (Download the Full Winter Light Calendar pdf - click here)
Mispon  (Jan 6, City Hall, 4:30 - 7:30pm) Winter Light kicks off at City Hall with Mispon, a whimsical gala launching Edmonton’s winter festival season. Mispon is a light-hearted celebration of the best of our snowy winter city. Enjoy fun installations, special performances and presentations – including a sneak peek at upcoming winter festivals. (www.winterlight.ca) Deep Freeze Festival  (Jan 9 & 10, 92 St and 118 Ave, Sat 10am – 11pm, Sun 12-6pm) Deep Freeze creates a "Magical Kingdom of Tomfoolery" featuring lots of fun for the whole family. Produced by Arts on the Avenue, Deep Freeze features an enchanted ice and snow garden, street hockey, music, outdoor curling, skating, and hayrides. Indoors, there’s music, visual art and delicious food. Don’t miss Melt the Deep Freeze, a dance party that heats up the winter night. Winter Light collaborates to present daily shows of an outdoor theatrical Mummery, plus story telling in the tipis, and free hot chocolate. Produced by Arts on the Ave (www.artsontheave.org) Ice on Whyte  (Jan 14 – 24, Old Strathcona, Mon – Fri 2 – 10pm, Sat & Sun 10am – 10pm) Ice on Whyte is Edmonton’s pre-eminent ice festival, with dozens of carvers creating dazzling sculptures from frozen water. Now recognized by the National Ice Carving Association, the festival will feature ice sculpting teams from as far away as New Zealand, Sweden, and Russia! The atmosphere is family friendly, with an amazing ice castle and a thrilling giant ice slide. The festival also hosts workshops for "little chippers", pre-registered school groups who learn about the magic of ice sculpture. This year the site will be even brighter, with Winter Light collaborating to create sparkling new light designs for the ice. Produced by the Old Strathcona Business Association (www.iceonwhyte.ca) Baba Yaga Trail Adventure  (Jan 22- 23, Snow Valley & Whitemud Trail S, Fri & Sat 2 - 9pm) Winter Light transforms a night walk along Whitemud trail into a mysterious journey through a magically lit forest. Snow Valley and the park offer even more adventures - skiing, sledding and a special ‘light-biathlon’. The Snow Daze Camp is the place to gather around warm campfires for music, performances and free hot chocolate. (www.winterlight.ca) MORE WINTER FESTIVITIES: (Download the Full Winter Light Calendar pdf - click here)
HEARTS OF FIRE (Feb 13, Sat 3 – 7pm, Boyle St Park) (www.winterlight.ca)
FAMILY DAY GLOBAL VILLAGE (Feb 15, Mon 12 – 4 pm, Churchill Square) (www.winterlight.ca)
ABORIGINAL WINTER CAMP at Silver Skate (Feb 20 – 21, 10 am – 8 pm, Hawrelak Park) (www.winterlight.ca)
SILVER SKATE (Feb 19 – 21, Fri 3- 10 pm, Sat & Sun 9 am - 9 pm, Hawrelak Park) Produced by the Silver Skate Festival (www.silverskatefestival.org)
BIG WINTER (Feb 26 – 27, Fri & Sat 12 – 8 pm, Jackie Parker Park, Mill Woods) (www.winterlight.ca)
STAR PARTY (Mar 6, Sat 4 – 10 pm, Elk Island National Park) (www.winterlight.ca)
ILLUMINATIONS (Mar 12 – 13, Fri 12 – 9:30 pm, Sat 2 – 9:30 pm, Edmonton Ski Club) (www.winterlight.ca)
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Hendricks, publicist 780.497.1164 or
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DOWNLOAD HIGH RES IMAGES:
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A (.zip) FILE OF ALL 12 IMAGES (17.1MB). Alternatively click on any of the images above to open the corresponding high-res images file individually in a new window. Then right click (or "control" + click) on the large image and "Save As" to save the image to your computer. All files are 4"X6" RGB .jpg at 300 dpi. Should you require any other specifications or higher resolution please email
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Contact the Winter Light Office: w: www.winterlight.ca p: 780-760-2229 f: 780-760-2263 e:
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