But the sponsors of that event have since pulled out. The Skateway is most popular during holiday times as well as during Ottawa's Winterlude festival, which takes place the first three weeks of February. Local competitions are held on the canal, such as slippery obstacle-course races and races between waiters and waitresses from area restaurants holding trays of drinks as they attempt to skate. There are international ice-sculpture competitions as well as snow sculptures, built up to 30 feet tall in some cases. The ice sculptures are situated at the downtown end while the snow sculptures are actually on the ice at the other end of the Skateway at Dows Lake.
Skaters can maneuver between the snow sculptures, which are protected by gates.
Professional skaters perform several short shows each day during the festival, but another ice surface is brought in for them, as the canal surface is not smooth enough. There are no Zambonis sprucing up the conditions, so be prepared for a bumpier ride than usual. The Canal opens to skating toward the end of December, depending on the weather, and closes to skaters at the end of February. The conditions of the ice are well monitored everyday for safety purposes. The thickness of the ice is measured and colored flags are put up along the Skateway depending on the result.