Winter festival encouraging everyone to get out and beat seasonal depression

It’s the dead of winter, and many are hunkering down in their homes… but one Winter festival is encouraging people to get out — not outdoors, but just out — to socialize and listen to music.

“It’s an opportunity to do something fun at a time of the year when most of us are suffering from seasonal depression. Break the seasonal depression cycle and come hang out at Winterruption,” said Jorge Requena Ramos, co-artistic director of Winterruption Winnipeg.

“It’s the easiest way to fight the seasonal depression. Come to a show. Get out of your house, bundle up, get a jacket and snow pants.”

Requena Ramos, says the six-day festival, taking place simultaneously in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon, is a way for people to share their love of music and bond over being strong enough to get through January.

“We want to reflect the fact that we co-exist together at minus 40 below, and that we’re able to get through one of the most brutal experiences in the world,” said Requena Ramos.

Not all of the artists performing can agree on whether they enjoy the winter. Tiana Garcia and Megumi Kimata, a duo who make up the electro-pop band French Class, have differing opinions on winter.

“I love going outside in the winter. I skate on the river. I’m going skiing, I do,” said Kimata.

When asked whether Garcia enjoys winter, she replied, “No! No, I don’t like going outside in the winter. I like to stay at home with my cats and my partner.”

But the duo do agree getting out this time of year is a good thing.

“Doing shows and Winterruption specifically, right in the dead of winter, is definitely making me go outside a little bit more, interact with people a little bit more,” said Garcia.

Clinical psychologist, Dr Jay Greenfeld, says there are benefits to going out for activities in the winter that include more consistency with mood and how people engage with others.

“Ideally, you want to be engaging in social activities and regular movement 12 months out of the year. If you choose to stop that for six to eight months, you’re penalizing yourself,” said Dr. Greenfeld.

Greenfeld cites people in similar climates like Scandinavia, who simply dress for the weather and continue with their routines all year.

“To have something like they’re coordinating here is only going to encourage similar type behaviour. What that will do for your mood is, one, increase the energy because you’ll be around other people and that becomes its own benefit. But then you’re also able to be active outside,” said Dr. Greenfeld.

He says it’s all too easy to get caught up in being at home when it’s cold, but events like Winterruption are actually beneficial to staying healthy for people who need some urging.

“You could also tell yourself it doesn’t matter what the season is. I can continue the behaviours that I’m doing throughout the year, I just have to dress differently. Don’t sit there and say, well you know it’s Winterpeg. Or Mani-snow-ba and it’s really cold. It’s cold in a lot of different places in the world. Don’t use the city or the postal code as a reason why you can’t and instead, start moving, start planning and get creative.”

“It’s the easiest way to fight the seasonal depression. Come to a show. Get out of your house, bundle up, get a jacket and snow pants,” said Requena Ramos.

Requena Ramos says the Winterruption line-up features over 30 artists from critically acclaimed acts and reflects the diversity seen in the population of Winnipeg through music, language, and skin tone.

“We made sure that everything we picked for Winterruption was something that reflects something about one of our communities. Whether it be the musical style that they’re performing or sort of the ethos of what they’re bringing. Everything that we’re showcasing is hard to put it in one box, which is like Winnipeg. We’re like the coldest place, warmest people, it’s hard to put it in one box and we wanted to make sure we had something like that,” said Requena Ramos.

People who miss out on artists in Winnipeg are told not to worry – they’ll also be seen in other cities participating in the winter festival.

“We’re offering (artists) a little tour. Which is pretty incredible and quite enticing, which is why we’re able to get this level of artistry into our cities in January,” explained Requena Ramos.

The French Class duo say they’re not only excited to be performing in different cities and meeting new artists, they’re also excited to be among friends, citing bands Octopus Tea and Bicycle Face who they will be playing alongside.

“All of the bands that we picked this year are on the rise, they’re poised to become the next big thing. So we are excited to be able to show you this stuff before it starts hitting a stadium,” said Requena Ramos.

“The next time you those artists, it’s gonna be on a stadium so it’s an opportunity for something really cool.”

Winterruption is happening in all its cities from January 23rd to the 28th.

WATCH: Hear about the festival’s highlights from co-artistic director of Winterruption Winnipeg, Jorge Requena Ramos