Organizers pull plug on disappointing Mosavernales

Rain and warmer temperatures have put an early endto Mosavernales, the outdoor winter sculpture festival in Gatineau, and organizers confirmed Tuesday they won't come close to the number of visitors they were hoping for.

Organizers had hoped 200,000 people would pay tovisit the frozen display inJacques-Cartier Park by the original closing date ofMarch 4, but only about 20,000 visitors stopped by.

The festival will not return next year, organizers said.

The festival was a winter version of the much moresuccessfulMosaCanadahorticultural exhibition held at the same location fromJune toOctober 2017. That event attracted more than 1.3 million visitors, but unlikeMosavernales, whichcharged $10 for admission,MosaCanadawas free.

A warm spell in late January didn't help things, forcing the festival to temporarily close as workers patched up the melting sculptures.

Warm weather forces Mosaivernalles to close early

7 years ago

Duration 0:24

Mosaivernalles, the snow sculpture festival in Gatineau, has closed due to mild weather.