With the eight-year-old Jack Frost Festival almost certain not to happen this winter, Charlottetown's mayor is making plans for a smaller winter festival to try to fill the gap.

Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee would like to see some kind of winter festival. (CBC)

Mayor Clifford Lee told CBC News Thursday no one has come forward to take over the Jack Frost Festival. The previous organizer of the event, Tourism Charlottetown, is no longer in the business of event management. At this late date, said Lee, he would be surprised if anyone could organize a Jack Frost Festival for February.

Lee is asking a committee of council to look at developing a much smaller replacement event.

"I will be suggesting to city council that perhaps the city may look to create a family type event during the winter season, possibly around the weekend in February where we celebrate Islander Day," he said.

"Certainly it is not going to be anything to the magnitude of what the Jack Frost Festival has been."

The Jack Frost Festival had been a boon for winter tourism. (CBC)

Lee said the city does not have the resources to put on an event of the scale of the Jack Frost Festival, but it could produce something that will fill part of the hole created by that loss.

"The Jack Frost event, while it was a tremendous economic event, it also served to give our local residents a family type event that they could take their kids to," said Lee.

Lee said if council gives the new festival the green light work would have to start early in the New Year to have everything in place on time.