The carnival, which will run from this Friday to Monday, will be composed of virtual and physically distanced activities. Majinx will perform a live, bilingual magic show over Zoom and YouTube to families on Saturday at 6 p.m. While anyone would be able to watch a live stream of the show on YouTube, 20 families from the township would be allowed to join the Zoom and interact with the magician.

For those more interested in heading outdoors, cross-country skiing access will on all Ski Vent Clic trails around Vankleek Hill from Friday to Sunday. More than 18 km of trails around Vankleek Hill would be available for free to everyone during those three days.

Due to the pandemic, the snow sculpture contest and winter formal ball that featured at last year’s carnival would not go ahead in 2021. Up to 200 people usually visited the carnival each day during past events, but numbers were expected to be lower this year. A colouring contest for children ran from January 20 to February 3.

Champlain Township communications specialist Zoé Fortin said the carnival had been a challenge to organize during COVID, but it was important to provide something for residents to look forward to during a long winter in lockdown.

“Even with school returning, it’s been hard, and January was a long month for everyone,” she said. “The Ski Vent Clic in particular is great for people who want to do something outdoors, and we’re seeing more people skiing this year and trying it out.”

Fortin said the events had been organized with COVID in mind. She said the length of the ski trails, combined with the layers of protective and warm clothing, would allow people to safely socially distance outside during the carnival. Ski rentals were not permitted as part of the current carnival, but may return next year if the pandemic had eased.