Kyle, 5, and his sister Taylor, 9, play near an ice sculpture during Ottawa's 2010 Winterlude festival. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)

Ottawa's coldest celebration is looking for financial help, its organizers said.

The Winterlude festival will run between Feb. 4 and 21 of next year, and will feature crowd favourites like skating on the Rideau Canal, ice sculpture competitions and more. At the 2011 festival's Tuesday launch National Capital Commission CEO Marie Lemay said it's "critical" Winterlude get new partners.

"It's not just maintaining Winterlude … we're looking to grow and evolve and really share this plan that we've been working very hard at and very successful at developing over the last 33 years," Lemay said.

"We need to rebuild, we need to reinvent it."

Winterlude currently has a $4 million budget, but Lemay said more sustainable funding is needed for the long-term success of the event.

"The response we've got is very positive from the private sector," Lemay said.

Parks Canada celebrates 100th anniversary at Winterlude

Parks Canada will also play a big role in the upcoming Winterlude.

It plans to display the work of 52 Canadian artists — including musicians Sarah Harmer and Sam Roberts — who have created art that reflects the wild space the federal agency represents.

Alain Latourelle, Parks Canada's CEO, said the festivities will start with a bang.

"On Winterlude's opening night, the fireworks will feature the original music from the national parks project," Latourelle said.

Latourelle said the Canadian Museum of Civilization will also feature some of best images from Parks Canada's collection.