Ottawa New Year’s Eve Concerts Canceled Over ‘Extreme Cold’

Minas Panagiotakis/NHLI via Getty Images – Parliament Hill

New Year’s Eve music performances scheduled on Parliament Hill were called off in Ottawa, Canada, with officials citing extreme cold and “public health and safety concerns” for canceling some outdoor events Dec. 30-31.

The Department of Canadian Heritage said skating and fireworks events would proceed as planned, but acts including DJ Shub and Kardinal Offishall that were to perform at the Canada 150 Closing Party would not be able to perform, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

Many Ottawa celebrations were already moved indoors given Environment Canada’s extreme cold warning. Temperatures in the Canadian capital city were predicted to range from a high of -4F to a low of -18F on Dec. 31.

“We invite all Canadians and visitors to consider the extreme weather conditions and to dress warmly and prepare accordingly to prevent frostbite and other injuries,” Canadian Heritage said in a statement quoted by the Citizen.