Winter makes venturing outside a difficult decision for some, especially when subzero temperatures and harsh winds make the air feel hostile. Yet, it is exactly these challenging conditions that have made the Snowed In Comedy Tour a cherished winter ritual, offering locals and people across the country a reason to embrace the season.
Now in its 17th year, the tour is returning to the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium with a completely new show. Comedian Pete Zedlacher credits the format as key to its success: “We do a brand new show every year. We tour from the beginning of January until the middle of April, hit about 70 cities across the country, and then the four of us go our separate ways. We experience life, write a new show, and come back to do it all again.”
That reset is what keeps audiences returning, he says. “We had a couple come up to us just last night and say it was their 12th year in a row seeing the show, and the compliment this year was, ‘That was the best one yet.’ We love hearing that. It’s always going to be fresh and always going to be current.”
The scale of the tour today grew slowly — and almost by accident. Zedlacher says Snowed In originally started as an excuse to combine comedy with a love of snowboarding. “The first year was about eight shows,” he says. “Then it became 12, and here we are 17 years later, Canada’s biggest comedy tour. It just kind of happened.”
It also happened, he notes, at what might be the least convenient time of year. “It happened at the worst time of the year — and I think that’s the key to why it works,” he says. “People are choosing to leave their houses in February. That creates a special energy.”
For northern cities like Thunder Bay, that choice is especially meaningful. Zedlacher, who grew up in Wawa, understands winter realities firsthand. When people make the effort to head out in the cold, he says, it changes the room. “When everyone’s made that same decision to be there,” he says, “it becomes a shared experience.”
That sense of occasion, he says, is particularly strong in smaller communities. “In smaller places, the show is embraced as a major event,” he says. “When we’re in Toronto or Vancouver or Calgary, it’s a harder sell. You’re up against everything else happening in the city. But in smaller towns, people are genuinely excited the show is coming — and when we win over the bigger cities, it’s explosive.”
Snowed In also works because of the contrast among its performers. Zedlacher describes his own role as shaped by his early theatre training at New York City’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy. “I come from a theatre background,” he says. “I’m the big ham on the show. I like to do voices, impressions — I put a little more pizzazz into it.”
That variety, he adds, is intentional. “That’s the beauty of the tour. There are four very different comedians, so there’s something for everybody. Everyone in the audience ends up having a favourite.”
After nearly 30 years in stand-up, Zedlacher says his material has changed as his life has changed. “When I was younger, I was more rock-and-roll, a dirtier comedian,” he says. “That’s what makes you laugh when you’re 26. Now I talk about adult things.”
What continues to surprise him is how closely audiences have followed that evolution. “They’ve seen us go through divorces, meeting new partners, getting engaged, getting married,” he says. “Audiences come back year after year and see us growing up. They grow with us.” That growth, he says, only works if the comedy remains rooted in honesty. “Comedy always comes from honesty,” he says. “Audiences are smart enough to know when something didn’t happen or when you’re making it up. If you attack a joke with honesty in mind, you’re always going to come across as genuine.”
As a Canadian, Zedlacher believes that observational instinct comes naturally. “We’re always on the outside looking in,” he says. “That’s kind of how Canadians grow up. I remember watching Sesame Street as a kid and asking my mom why they say ‘zee’ when we say ‘zed.’ You realize early on that we’re different — and that outsider perspective is exactly what stand-up comedians are.”
Even after months on the road, he says there’s still a moment each January when the full scope of the tour hits him. “When the show really comes together, I sit in the back and think, ‘I can’t believe we did it again,’” he says. “By the end of the tour, the jokes are so razor sharp, and it’s almost heartbreaking that we have to retire them and start all over again.”
In an era dominated by streaming and endless content, Zedlacher remains convinced that nothing replaces live comedy. “There’s nothing more magical than a theatre full of people sharing the same moment,” he says. “You can laugh at home watching something on a screen, but being surrounded by 2,000 people all laughing at the same time — nothing can top that.”
The tour itself has matured, too. “When we started, it was a party every night,” he laughs. “Now we’re all married, trying to take care of ourselves. If it’s a choice between coffee before the show or a drink after, it’s coffee. Finding the best coffee shop in town has actually become part of the tour.”
As the Snowed In Comedy Tour returns February 14, 2026, to Thunder Bay, Zedlacher emphasizes that its appeal goes beyond just punchlines—it’s about bringing people together in the winter. When isolation threatens during the coldest months, showing up to share laughter becomes an important act of connection. For a few hours, a room of strangers is united by shared laughter and togetherness—reminding communities that gathering, especially in winter, is truly worth the effort.
