Warm conditions won’t cool down Bon Soo’s momentum: organizer

Bon Soo has certainly “warmed up the winter” for residents of the Sault, but milder conditions won’t impede next month’s 61st annual carnival, according to organizers.

While familiar classics like the Fantasy Kingdom and giant snow sculptures may no longer be plausible activities, festival organizer and special events coordinator Josh Ingram says new offerings have upped the ante, while weather-conditional events all have a “Plan B” in place.

“If you look at the program, there’s a lot of activity happening every day that isn’t dependent on sub-zero temperatures,” he told SooToday. “There isn’t a single location that we’re operating in where a patron would be turned away because of the weather.”

“Even if you come down to the Machine Shop and it’s plus five and the bum slides are closed down, there are tons of different kids’ activities both indoors and outdoors going on,” he added. “There’s no room for doom and gloom – we have to be positive and find other ways to put smiles on each other’s faces.”

Building off last year's momentous and profitable festival that witnessed more than 9,000 buttons sold and a barrage of new events, Ingram is hopeful to see families and residents of all ages get involved in the nine-day celebration, and perhaps even eclipse the 10,000-button mark.

“We’d love to see that happen,” Ingram said. “Last year was about building a new level of quality; a new level of the number of events that are diversified. This year, it’s about maintaining that quality, and then see what’s in store for next year.”

Bon Soo collector’s buttons are $10, while jacket tags are $8. They both give patrons access to the same number of events.

Carnival events this year include classics such as the Polar Bear Dip, and new favourites like the Polar Rush Urban Winter Obstacle Course, the EDM Sno Bath (with Electronic Dance Music playing from the rooftop of Northern Superior Brewery), the Fire and Ice Hot Sauce Challenge with local hot sauce, and an illusionist show with Ryan McFarling,

The contentiously brand-new downtown plaza will also be the site for a variety of activities, including Indigenous storytelling and games by THRIVE, science experiment shows by Science North, and a “Skate N Screen” showing.

“We definitely have more than 100 events this year,” Ingram said. “There is very little that costs more than your pass.”

The city’s special events coordinator noted there are two demographics of people in particular that the Bon Soo board of directors wants to target this year in an effort to drive up numbers: young parents who haven’t been to the festival since they were young, and university students and single adults.

“If you’ve been out to Bon Soo in the last eight years or so, you had the expectation that the carnival has dwindled and isn’t as good as it used to be,” he said. “If you didn’t take part in it last year, I would strongly encourage you to go out on the limb, spend the $8 to $10 per person in your family, and give it a shot.”

“For those aged 19 and older, university audience, right out of school, no kids – Bon Soo now has something for you every day that is adult oriented,” he added. “Chicken wing challenges, 19+ comedians, illusionists, concerts, Polar Bear Dip – there’s plenty of activities for that demographic this year too.”

Bon Soo’s board of directors, which features a batch of fresh faces, are currently in year two of an undisclosed six-year strategy for the carnival.

While he wasn’t able to provide many details into what some of their long-term goals look like, Ingram was able to hint that greater things are on the horizon.

“We’re never going to be able to replicate the Fantasy Kingdom, so we have to figure out what we’re going to have instead,” he said. “You will see our Kids Zone start to morph this year with different offerings like inflatables and whatnot. Over the next two to three years, I think you’ll see a really big transition to exciting things kids can do that aren’t built out of snow.”

The 61st Bon Soo Winter Carnival runs from February 2nd to the 10th.

A full program of events can be accessed here, while buttons can be purchased here.

Bon Soo is also recruiting new board members for next year. Interested applicants can apply here.