Editing Winterlude (section)

==Duration==
Winterlude spans three weekends, usually in February, and typically concludes on Family Day, which falls on a Monday. Between the first and second weekends, and the second and third weekends, there are very few events scheduled from Monday to Thursday. This results in a less crowded skating rink and pristine ice conditions, with only around a thousand skaters sharing it compared to larger numbers on weekends. Skate changing shacks and food catering kiosks along the skateway remain open during the weekdays.

The weather in Ottawa is notoriously unpredictable, and Winterlude often is hampered by warm temperatures. Mild weather is the bane of the Canal, as proper ice conditions require -10&nbsp;°C/14&nbsp;°F for proper freezing. The length of the skating season (which often extends past Winterlude) is therefore unpredictable. However, most events are usually not affected other than premature melting of ice and snow sculptures. The average length to which the canal is open for skating is 50 days, but varies greatly. In the 2001–2002 season there was a (then) record low 34 days of skating. The very next season, 2002–2003, the canal was open for a near-record high 72 days. The longest skating season was 1971–1972, lasting 95 days. The shortest was 2015–2016, lasting just 18 days.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of the Rideau Canal Skateway |url=https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/history-rideau-canal-skateway |website=National Capital Commission (NCC) |access-date=10 January 2024}}</ref>