2024 Saskatchewan Indigenous Male Artist of the Year Dakota Favel performs at the 2025 Tux & Toques Gala. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Festival Kick off

Tux & Toques Gala highlights the start of 61st Prince Albert Winter Festival

Jan 26, 2025 | 2:10 PM

The Prince Albert Wildlife Federation came to life Saturday night as friends and supporters gathered for the Tux & Toques Gala, celebrating the start of the 61st Prince Albert Winter Festival.

Hundreds were drawn to the event that featured a supper, silent auction, and live entertainment from 2024 Saskatchewan Indigenous Male Artist of the Year Dakota Favel.

President of the festival Bev Erickson said the excitement is through the roof this year as mother nature has provided snow and colder temperatures, unlike last year.

“I think everyone’s really looking forward to it with the weather that we’ve had, it’s been absolutely amazing. So I’m hoping that the weather will continue even though we need lots of snow, but that -10 with no wind would be perfect.”

With the warmer temperatures last year, one of the highlights of the festival, the dog sled races, was forced to cancel. Now a year later, Erickson said racers are pumped for the event’s return.

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“I think it’s going to be wonderful. It’s going to happen up on Marquis Road West by the Rose Garden Hospice.”

She added that the King & Queen Trapper event will be held at the same location with two food trucks on site.

Also returning to the festival this year is the chili cook-off, happening Feb. 12 at the Exhibition Centre, and the event will replace the beloved fish fry event.

“The availability of the pre-work for the fish fry, that’s been kind of taken away with the renovations of the Northern Lights Casino,” Erickson explained. “They helped us out immensely last year, Selenas Donair has helped us out in the years before. We just don’t have anywhere to do the setup, so that’s why we thought we’d change it just a little bit.”

She continued by saying despite the renovations, the Casino will still be helping out with the festival by making bannock to go with the chili for the cook-off.

As for other parts of the festival, the Family Cultural Days will have a bit of a shakeup as well.

Instead of having a youth extravaganza show, there will be a youth showcase along with Leon’s Old Tyme Family Dance, where everyone of all ages is welcome to come and bust a move.

“We’re trying to help some our seniors come out and join in again,” said Erickson. “We no longer have the Mr. and Mrs. Winter Festival. They were a big part of that, so we’d like to bring all our seniors back. We know we’ve got a lot of dancing people in Prince Albert and it’s in the afternoon, so there’s no reason you can’t come.”

The Prince Albert Winter Festival runs from Feb. 7-23 at various locations around the city. More information about the winter festival, along with this year’s events, can be found by clicking here.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com