With the goal of celebrating the arrival of spring, The Meltdown event is slated to run on March 18 at Centennial Park.
The fun kicks off at 1 p.m. and runs through to 4 p.m.
There is no charge to attend.
“The Meltdown is our event where we kiss winter goodbye and welcome in spring,” said Channelle Brooker, culture & tourism supervisor with the Town’s Recreation, Culture and Tourism department.
“We have a lot of spring-themed activities going on - some ‘wind and air’ activities that compliment the spring season.”
Other highlights include candy tossing - there will be three scheduled blocks of time throughout the event where there will be candy tosses held, said Brooker. These will run at 1:15, 2:15 and 3:15 p.m.
Adding vivid blasts of colour to the afternoon will be ‘colour throwing’ events, too.
“We will also have three scheduled colour-throwing activities as well,” she said. “It’s a pretty unique event - absolutely.”
Organizers will have the coloured powder onsite for visitors to use. The powder consists of corn starch so it’s environmentally friendly and non-toxic - but beyond that, it’s just a whole lot of fun for the entire family, she pointed out.
“It comes in little individual pouches. We will have a booth where you can pick them up. We will also have music playing, so it has an electronic dance music kind of feel to it, too. And it gets really messy,” she added with a laugh.
“Everybody gets covered in it.”
Brooker said it’s a nod to ‘Holi’, which is a Hindu festival.
“That is where it originated from - and we definitely want to highlight the significance of where it (originated),” she explained, adding that it’s typically held in early March as a way to welcome the spring season.
The colour-throwing events run at 1:45, 2:45 and 3:45 p.m.
Other highlights through the afternoon include a dance party, snow decorating, yard games, the opportunity to check out some hot air balloons on the ground, plus a Hoola Hoop Show which runs at 1, 2, and 3 p.m.
Visitors will be able to check out a beautifully choreographed show but also grab a hoop and give it a try themselves.
Originally, the Town hosted a ‘kites on ice’ event in years past, but with it being in March, sometimes there were integrity issues with the ice.
“So we pulled back from kites on ice and transitioned into The Meltdown event,” she said, adding that she attended last year and the event was packed with loads of energy and plenty of excitement.
“It also really brings out the community - I think we saw about 500 people there last year - primarily locals, but as the word starts to spread around, people are also coming in from out of town to enjoy it as well,” she said.
“You can’t beat free activities! It’s a great opportunity to come out and get to know your neighbours if you are new to the community, bring the kids out for some fresh air and just have some fun!”
Check out visitsylvanlake.ca/meltdown