Dragon boats are a familiar sight at Mooney's Bay in the summer but this year Ottawa will be hosting a brand new festival at Dow's Lake — in the middle of winter.

The inaugural Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival is a highlight of the Canada 150 edition of Winterlude. The lineup of activities for this year's festival, which runs from Feb. 3 to 20, is set to be officially unveiled this morning at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Athletes use special paddles equipped with spikes to drag the boats along the ice. (courtesy of Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival )

Organizers of the Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival opened a second block to meet demand, after the first round of registration sold out in just 10 minutes.

It's the first event of its kind in North America, and has drawn athletes to register from as far as California and Florida.

Paddles are equipped with spikes to drag the boats along the ice.

The races are scheduled for February 17 and 18 at Dow's Lake.