The beloved Severn Winterfest will not be returning this year, leaving the community without one of its most cherished seasonal events.
Chad Cooke, president of the festival, has pointed to inconsistent winter weather patterns as the primary reason behind the decision to pull the plug on the event.
“Although we have a lot of snow today, typically, the pattern has shown that we get a heavy snowfall and we follow it up with rain and ten degrees,” Cooke explained. “We haven’t had a really good winter in a while, and everything we do is made out of snow.”
The festival, which took a break in 2023, has struggled to maintain its attractions in recent years due to unpredictable weather.
Cooke recounted how previous Winterfest events were often held during unseasonably warm days accompanied by rain — conditions that discouraged attendance and limited the ability to offer snow and ice-based activities.
“Last year, there was no snow or ice for us to work with,” he said. “It’s just too large of a financial and volunteer undertaking if you can’t get the weather. Nobody is coming out when the weather is like that.”
Cooke, who has been organizing local winter festivals for nearly 20 years, expressed "deep disappointment" over the festival’s demise.
“Our first two major snowfalls this year were backed by warm weather and rain,” Cooke said. “It’s gotten to the point where it’s too difficult to pick a date months in advance and count on there being good weather where we can build things safely and put on a good show for everybody.”
Despite the current cancellation, Cooke remains open to the possibility of Winterfest returning in the future, albeit in a re-imagined form.
“It would have to be done a lot different,” he said. “But I never say never.”
Beyond its role as a source of winter entertainment, Winterfest also provided financial support to ODAS Park, which hosts various community events throughout the year.
“Luckily, we always have different events and dances going on. The Roller-Skating Place is still open and very vibrant and busy,” Cooke noted. “We’ve grown substantially over the years, so that helps.”
The success of this year’s Orillia Fall Fair has also softened the blow for organizers.
“We were able to grow the fall fair with new events this year,” Cooke said. “We got the midway back and created pumpkin chunkin at ODAS Park. It was perfect.”
While Winterfest’s absence will leave a gap in Severn’s winter calendar, Cooke remains hopeful the spirit of community and creativity that defined the festival will live on in other ways.
