The New Year Is Here

I spent Christmas down south with family and friends.  I returned to Arctic Bay early because I didn’t want to miss the first day of school of 2024.  Air travel in Nunavut is difficult during the winter months because there’s always the possibility of things going wrong . . . and they do.  It’s mostly weather related but sometimes planes “go mechanical”.  I figured if such a problem were to occur, best to have an extra day to get back home instead of missing a school day.  Thankfully, nothing went wrong. 

My early return meant I would spend New Years in Arctic Bay, giving me the opportunity to document the celebrations like last year.

Following the same plan, I put on many layers of warm clothing, packed a camera & flashlight, and fired up my skidoo at 11pm.  I was dressed like I was going on an Arctic expedition because the temperature is cold at the end of December, and I would be sitting/standing at the top of a hill for an hour taking pictures and video.  I drove to the local Co-op store, and then continued up a hill behind it.  Several people were doing the same but driving ATVs.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough snow to go up the entire way, so I had to park my skidoo about halfway up like last year.  I hiked the rest of the way.  I didn’t use the flashlight because there was a full moon in the sky.  I reached the same spot I used before at about 5 minutes to midnight.

The clock struck midnight as I was still catching my breath from the hike.  Maybe I’m getting too old for hikes?  People started honking their car horns a few seconds after midnight.  And then the fireworks came.  There wasn’t a coordinated display.  People just started launching fireworks into the cold night sky wherever they could.  Some were even launched from the hill I was standing on and from another nearby hill.  I did my best to photograph the fireworks at the right time.  I think I got a few good shots.

People poured out of the community hall to watch fireworks and get ready for the vehicle parade.  Even though I was far away, I could still hear people talking loudly in the community hall parking lot.  Sound carries well in the cold.  Cars, skidoos, and ATVs started making their way to Uluksan Point at 12:15am.  They drove on the frozen ice in the bay.  The ice is thick enough to support a heavy plane.  I photographed the vehicles making their way to the point, turning around the corner, and then disappearing from view.  The drivers turned around and were organized into a parade line.

The long procession of vehicles began at 12:30am.  Judging from the sounds I heard, skidoos came first, then ATVs, followed by large 4-wheeled vehicles.  I couldn’t count how many vehicles were in the parade, so I’ll just say there were a lot.  There were even some vehicles that joined late.  The leader(s) led the convoy to the centre of the frozen bay and then drove in a winding S pattern.  This continued until they got closer to the shoreline.  I was only able to film a short clip of this because the cold was draining the battery. 

The skidoo drivers drove off the ice and continued through the town while the remaining vehicles parked in a long line in front of the community.  I did my very best to recreate my iconic photo from last year, but I was unsuccessful.  There’s always next year.  The 4-wheeled vehicles drove off the ice and continued through town, honking their horns, celebrating the arrival of the new year.  The skidoo drivers returned to the ice and parked in the same place the 4-wheeled vehicles did earlier.  The drivers revved their engines because skidoos don’t come with horns.  They drove off the ice after 10 minutes. 

I returned to my skidoo at 1am.  It was easier to hike down the hill, but I still had to watch out for large rocks.  I was glad the engine started because I didn’t want to walk home.  I drove down to the Co-op, got on the main road and followed it home.  Fireworks continued to be launched into the sky at random intervals.  I was happy to be back inside my warm place.  I believe the New Years celebrations continued for a few more hours.

Happy New Year everyone from Arctic Bay!