Snow-covered mountains and frozen lakes remain part of the landscape well past New Year’s in northern regions across the continent, and residents who live in chilly locales opt to venture out to enjoy the weather rather than hole up indoors. Festivals and carnivals featuring ice sculptures, sled dog races, sleigh rides, and more, give travelers a chance to join locals in fun, annual traditions. We’ve rounded up the best of the fests—from Vermont to Alaska—for you to consider while vacationing in your favorite winter wonderland.
Ice Castles
Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Utah, and Wisconsin
January – late February/early March (depending on weather)
Ice CastlesIs a series of frozen attractions with locations in five different US cities where temperatures stay reliably cold enough to sustain them. Perhaps best understood as immersive, ephemeral art installations, these large-scale creations are made by professional ice artists who use hundreds of thousands of hand-placed icicles (as well as some colorful LED lights) to create fantastical worlds of crystalline castles, caves, tunnels, and thrones. Every location is different, and each installation changes from one year to the next. If you want to feel like you’re stepping into a frozen fairytale (or straight-up Frozen), seek one out when they open in January, weather permitting.
Alaska Fur Rendezvous
Anchorage, Alaska
February 25 – March 6
Known locally as “Fur Rondy,” the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous was first held in 1935, predating the famous Iditarod Race by nearly four decades. This festival dates back to the city’s fur trading days (hence the name) and pays homage to the tradition with authentic fur auctions interspersed between signature events.
Sports are still a big part of Anchorage Fur Rendezvous, but sprinting before reindeer or steering the fastest outhouse on skis put Rondy in a league of its own for competitive spirit. Fan favorites like the Outhouse Races and Running of the Reindeer, a mad dash down the streets of Anchorage with caribou at the racers’ heels, always draws a crowd. In the Open World Championship Sled Dog Races, dog teams and their mushers complete a high-speed loop daily for three days, with the fastest time the winner. The competition, which began in 1946, is considered the grandfather of all Alaska races. The sled dog races traditionally begin on Fourth Avenue at D Street, and run out to Far North Bicentennial Park and back.
Whitefish WinterCarnival
Whitefish, Montana
February 4 – 6
Apparently, people are feeling nostalgic for the 80s, because like Saranac Lake, Whitefish has chosen “80’s Rewind: Totally Rad” as the theme of their 63rd annual winter carnival. If the theme doesn’t spark your interest, also consider that this particular party pays homage to Ullr, a Nordic god-king. Legend says that after being forgotten by his worshippers for a time, Ullr got bored and ended up in Northwest Montana (as one does), where he stayed until humans eventually also settled and resumed worshipping him. Now,the town of Whitefish gets together each year to celebrate him with a Penguin Plunge fundraiser, a grand parade, a snow sculpture contest, an art expo, and more. Whitefish is becoming quite the trendy tourism destination with its proximity to Glacier National Park Glacier, but this fest is a great way to experience the friendly small town from a local’s POV.
Snow Fest
Tahoe City, California
February 25 – March 6
Tahoe City’s SnowFest was originally conceived to promote the North Lake Tahoe area’s incredible weather and plentiful powder in early March, which is typically the off-season for ski tourism. Now, it’s a ten-day mountain Mardi Gras celebration with nearly 100 events spread throughout North Lake Tahoe, including a Mardi Gras party, a luau, a dog pull, a dog costume contest, fireworks, several parades, snow sculpture and ice carving competitions, milk jug curling, a cornhole tournament, concerts, ski races, a polar bear swim, and more.
International Snow Sculpture Championship
Breckenridge, Colorado
January 24 – February 2
The International Snow Sculpture Championship is a world-renowned competition during which 12 teams from around the world compete to transform 20-ton blocks of snow into sculptural works of art, transforming historic downtown Breckenridge into a temporary outdoor public art gallery in the process. (Walking in a winter wonderland, indeed!) By the way, it’s all done by hand—no power tools allowed. While you’re in town, don’t forget to take a scenic snowcat tour or sleigh ride, fat biking; after all, cycle-loving Coloradans don’t stop just because of some pesky snow.
Saranac Lake Winter Carnival
Adirondacks, New York
February 4 – 13
This upstate New York winter festival has been held for over a century, and this year, the party is taking guests back in time with a “Totally ‘80s” theme. The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival has everything: a Royal Court complete with coronation celebrations and courtly robes, arctic golf, an arctic BBQ, downhill ski races, snowshoe races, curling exhibitions, woodsman exhibitions, a ladies fry pan toss (why not!), “totally tubular”-themed parades, fireworks, and more. But the real highlight of the event is the Ice Palace—created by the very same people who brought you the aforementioned Ice Castles—made entirely out of thousands of ice blocks cut from the lake.
The Great Northern
The Twin Cities, Minnesota
January 27 – February 6
The Great Northern is held annually in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, exists to counter the narrative of long, dark, depressing Midwestern winters with ten days of artistically rich and intellectually stimulating fun. The brainy bunch will find music and performance events, film screenings, gallery shows, public art installations, and live interviews with social activists, scientists, artists, and thought leaders; party animals can enjoy a family-friendly winter carnival and dance parties; and sports junkies can check out hockey tournaments, winter hiking, and so much more.
Fire and Ice Winter Festivals
Lava Hot Springs, Idaho
February 4 – 6
At the Fire and Ice Winter Fest in Lava Hot Springs,Idaho , you can escape the cold in the best way we know how: with a relaxing soak in all-natural mineral hot springs. But if you want to maximize your visit, you should do so only after you take part in about a dozen wild winter activities. Don the weirdest costume you can concoct and go careening down the Portneuf River during the annual Polar Float Parade . Watch local daredevils ski down the mountain with lit torches in hand. Participate in rubber penguin races, chili tastings, wine tastings, a costume parade, a relay race, and more. And then, once all is said and done, warm up in one of the town’s famous geothermal pool.
St Paul Winter Carnival
St. Paul, Minnesota
The St. Paul Winter Carnival in Minnesota is the oldest and largest winter festival in the u.s. in 1885, a new york times reporter suggested that St. Paul was too cold for human habitation, and to prove him wrong the city held its first festival the following year. The carnival is best known for the immense ice castle that’s historically been its centerpiece; today events also includes snow and ice sculptures, juried art shows, outdoor concerts, sled dog races, and autonomous snowplow competitions—where inventors attempt to clear a snowy path with their robotic snowplows.
Polar Plunge Fest
Annapolis, Maryland
There are polar bear plunges—where people dive into frigid water in the middle of winter—all over the country, but Maryland’s Plungefest is the biggest of all. Attracting more than 25,000 plungers and spectators, this is the coolest way to raise money for charity. With proceeds benefitting Special Olympics Maryland, you’ve got a great excuse to take a dip in the Chesapeake Bay. If you’re not into frostbite, there’s also a carnival, giant sand sculptures, and live music to keep you entertained.
Mammoth Skim Festival
If you have a penchant for dressing up in costume and getting very, very cold, you’ll love Mammoth Mountain’s annual pond skim. At this beloved californian event, skiers and snowboarders dress up in outlandish costumes—previous years have seen sumo wrestlers and superheroes—and straight line it across a 110-foot unfrozen pond. Some succeed, others fail, and a good time is had by all (or, at least most).
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