Usually, colder temperatures outside have us getting cozy and entertained indoors. Yet winter festivals can draw us back outdoors for some fun activities that fit with these chilly times. They may have some interior activities, but overall they draw attendees outdoors for some pretty cool public demonstrations and feats of skill. Whether we’re looking on or joining in on the fun, here are 10 of the coolest winter festivals across the United States worth braving the cold for.
10 Lake Geneva Winterfest, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Happening in early February, this Winterfest turns snow into building material for some incredible-looking snow sculptures. The five-day winter festival is the location for the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championship, the only competition of its kind in the country. Fifteen qualifying teams will come to Lake Geneva for a 72-hour public competition where their artistic talents will focus on creating a larger-than-life gallery of amazing snow sculptures. Winterfest has become a favorite destination for tens of thousands of visitors and a beloved annual tradition for many people each winter. In addition to the snow sculpting competition, Winterfest features many winter-themed activities, including bonfires and s’mores on Riviera Beach and a Downtown Ice Sculpture Walk.
9 Stowe Winter Carnival, Stowe, Vermont
The Stowe Winter Carnival will return in 2023 for its 48th winter season in mid-January. Stowe is a great destination to visit in summer and also a popular winter sports stop. This Northern Vermont town will again usher in this festival with major activities for attendees of all ages. The activity schedule will include zany sports events, ice carving competitions, and a Snowvolleyball Tournament. Watch professional ice carvers shaping elegant and masterful Ice carvings throughout the carnival's village on Demonstration Day. Plus, the event will also host the 22nd annual NICA-sanctioned Ice Carving Competition.
8 World of Winter Festival, Grand Rapids, Michigan
The annual World of Winter Festival applies the subject of "outdoor art" to this type of seasonal event. The yearly festival features 40 interactive art exhibits, 50-plus ice sculptures, games, and special events all over downtown to support their mission to get more people outside during the winter. Potential contributors are encouraged to submit their public art proposal for the event via the festival's website. The World of Winter Festival runs from early January through early March, Downtown Grand Rapids transforms into a dazzling winter wonderland and this year’s festival promises to be bigger and better than ever. All programming and activities are free and geared toward families and adults.
7 Fur Rendezvous Festival, Anchorage, Alaska
Since 1935, the annual 10-day Fur Rendezvous Festival, more commonly known as “Fur Rondy,” has been held in downtown Anchorage. The event celebrates the best winter sports and also harkens back to the days of trappers and miners when the groups offloaded their wares from the winter. The festival is also timed to coincide with the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on the first Saturday in March. It even includes its own version of running with the bull but instead sprinting down Anchorage’s 4th Avenue with a herd of reindeer trotting behind you. Suit up for more action-packed events like snowshoe softball and the outhouse races, where Alaskans don wacky costumes and decorate their outhouse on skis to see which sled is the fastest.
It even includes its own version of running with the bull but instead sprinting down Anchorage’s 4th Avenue with a herd of reindeer trotting behind you. Suit up for more action-packed events like snowshoe softball and the outhouse races, where Alaskans don wacky costumes and decorate their outhouse on skis to see which sled is the fastest. There's also a snow sculpture competition, carnival rides, food vendors, Alaska Native craft markets, and a fireworks display.
6 Great Northern Festival, St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Great Northern Festival draws attendees to Minnesota with a concept that could be presented as a budding, sustainability-focused SXSW in the snow! The Great Northern is all about performance, experiencing the outdoors, public art, and climate education all while embracing the cold.
The festival brings thought-provoking art displays, illuminating live performances, meaningful conversations about climate change; and outdoor activities and events, including the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships, City of Lakes Loppet (a cross-country ski and other winter sports festival), and St. Paul Winter Carnival.
One of the festival’s cornerstone events is the Luminary Loppet, a magical night on the Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. Plus, the 2023 festival will have new stand-out experiences. At the festival eve kick-off event, appropriately called Chill Out, travelers will experience a winter village complete with invigorating live music, mouth-watering food, specialty cocktails from Vikre Distillery, warm beverages, sauna activations, and captivating large-scale projections. Plus, no winter festival would be complete without a new Wim Hof Method cold immersion experience and sauna village.
5 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, Saranac Lake, New York
Taking place in mid-February in New York State’s Adirondacks region, the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival will take its 126th year in 2023. It became a part of Saranac Lake's history as a 19th-century major health resort in order to promote winter outdoor sports and games. In 1897, the area's Pontiac Club sponsored a one-day formal winter carnival, which became the origin of what is now the present-day carnival.
As a family-friendly event, this 10-day event includes sports, performances, two parades, and three sets of fireworks. Games of skill will involve snowshoe softball, cross-country skiing, fry pan tossing, and snow rugby. Yet, the major attraction at this carnival is a life-sized ice palace. This palace has been part of the carnival since 1898, with a structure continuously built except during World War I and II and the Great Depression. Royalty, so to speak, occupies this palace, as locals are chosen to be part of a royal court linked to it.
4 Oregon WinterFest, Redmond, Oregon
Touted as the Northwest's biggest festival, the Oregon WinterFest takes place as a mid-February three-day extravaganza. The weekend fest will feature a "Central Oregon Light Exhibit," which puts on an incredible illuminating feat known as "Light, Ice & Fire Exposition." It consists of ice carving demonstrations and a cozy fire pit, and fire sculptures. There will also be a Wonderland Marketplace that features local and regional merchandise. As an entertainment schedule for the 2023 edition is still being developed, one new activity will involve a "Hot Cocoa Run." This chocolaty theme race will consist of a fun 5K with a full Hot Cocoa bar at the finish line with toppings and Oregon-based company Crater Lake Spirits. Kids, too, will also have a similar race to participate in deliciously. A "Mini Marshmallow Run" will have kids ages 3-10 gathering all the ingredients for a cup of cocoa at this fun run.
3 Wintersköl, Aspen, Colorado
Referred to as Aspen’s annual “toast to winter,” Wintersköl will return in 2023 to mark the event's 72nd consecutive year. It was founded in January 1951 when locals in Aspen decided to celebrate this Rocky Mountain town's unique alpine lifestyle by putting on a broad-ranging weekend of festivities. The four-day celebration, which still happens in January, has an event schedule listing mountain activities, snow sculptures, a torchlight descent down Aspen Mountain, and fireworks, among other happenings. Each day of 2023 has been arranged to feature all-day demonstrations of snow sculpture designs along Aspen's Mill Street Mall. The designs are to be created by Colorado artist Thomas Barlow.
2 Fire & Ice Winterfest, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho
The Fire & Ice Winterfest is usually held over the first full weekend of February in this quaint resort town known for its natural spring-fed hot pools. While their event page is still being updated for the February 2023 edition, some activities have been announced. Festival-goers can watch or participate in the event's Winter Parade down Main Street, which kicks off the opening of the Fire & Ice Winterfest. It's also encouraged to look for the Abominable Snow Man. Other highlights include a Polar Bear Costume Judging and Party, a Children's Water Carnival, and a Penguin Race Fundraiser. Another event activity is called "Dusk: The Torch Light Ski," involving local daredevils skiing down what are known as the “L” mountains with lit torches.
1 Lititz Fire & Ice Festival, Lititz, Pennsylvania
In this central Pennsylvania town, the Fire & Ice Festival is a 10-day showcase in mid-February, bringing out food selections from downtown Lititz’s restaurants and, on some days, popular food trucks. Interactive ice carvings will be placed standing beside a fire show put on with the help of companies from Rock Lititz Campus, a production community that is a location for live events companies. The kid-friendly daytime Winter FUNderland will offer activities, bouncy attractions, and more things for children to do. Other returning events will include a scavenger hunt, a photography exhibit, and a Maker’s Market. An interesting version of a Fire & Ice-themed pub crawl will involve downtown Lititz bars and restaurants featuring fire or ice-themed drinks.