Over the past couple of years, McCauley and Boyle Street have been host to several Winter Light Festival events.

Not so this year. To make up for this, FROSTIVAL is being presented to chase those winter blues away.

FROSTIVAL is being organized and presented by different community groups in the area and will include an outdoor chestnut roast, skating activities, and more.

Chestnuts will be roasting on the weekends of December 3 and 4, 10 and 11, and 17 and 18 in front of The Italian Centre from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Annual events that take place during the winter in McCauley should also attract the attention of many in the community and beyond. The McCauley Cup, which is a hockey game between the Downtown Division beat cops and the community, takes place on December 28 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the McCauley Rink.

Other planned activities include ice sculpting along the streets from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 28. An all-ages skating party will take place that evening at the McCauley Rink from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

On Sunday, January 29, 2012, watch exciting dragon and lion dances along 97 Street during the Lunar New Year celebrations starting at noon. 97 Street is closed to traffic between 105 and 107 Avenue as the businesses are blessed for the new year. There will also be horse-drawn sleigh rides from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The starting point is Lucky 97.

The Family Day Skating Party is a community favourite, and it happens in 2012 on Monday, February 20 from noon to 5 p.m. Skating, scrimmage hockey, hot chocolate, and a hot dog roast are just some of the activities that take place throughout the afternoon. Sleigh rides will take place between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Throughout the winter, E4C sponsors skating at the rink every Saturday from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. and hockey on Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Editor’s note: Since this story was first published, it has been announced that Common Ground, part of the Winter Light festival, will indeed be taking place again in Giovanni Caboto Park on February 10 and 11. Details will be posted in our February issue. All of the FROSTIVAL events listed above will still be going ahead. More events means more fun!