Minnesota is home to 10,000 ice and winter festivals, but the ice isn’t looking great this year. In addition to the cancellation of John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon and The Minnesota Ice Festival and many January outdoor events and festivals across the state have had to be postponed or adapted for the following reasons: Historically warm and snowless winters.
We will introduce you to January’s events that adapt to the ever-changing climate.
Breezy Point Ice Fest, January 5-6
Lake Superior’s Breezy Point Ice Fest started with snowmobile drag racing more than 30 years ago. Those races were canceled a while ago due to unstable ice, said David Spizzo, vice president of Breezy Point Resort.
But even in a warm winter like this, the ice fest continues.
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“It’s possible, but the lack of ice and snow is an issue in the Brainerd Lakes area,” Spizzo said.
This year’s modified version of Ice Fest will be held on January 5th and 6th. Some events normally held on the ice will be moved to shore.
There will be fireworks shows, bonfires, cornhole tournaments, and more. The pond hockey tournament has been cancelled. Regular shoreside activities such as horse-drawn hayrides and face painting will continue.
“I don’t want to advise people to go on the ice at this time,” Spizzo said. “But you know, in Minnesota, people are just looking for a good reason to go out and have a beer, so that hasn’t changed.”
Sandstone Ice Fest, January 2-14.
Hill said the weekend will feature All in Ice Fest, an event for ice climbers from historically marginalized communities in Colorado.
But Hill said ice farming is already a month later than usual, so the late start was a boon for Sandstone Ice Fest.
“Typically by December 1st or the second week of December, you’ll have really nice, solid fat ice,” Hill said.
Fat ice is about 2 feet thick, and optimal temperatures for ice farming are in the 10s to single digits.
“We’ve got a pretty good base at the moment, and with the temperatures plummeting, we’re predicting a lighter year than last year, unfortunately. But I think we’ll be able to make some pretty good ice for the fest. ,” Hill said.
Art Shanty Project, Lake Harriet: January 20th – February 11th
Last weekend, Art Shanty Project art director Erin Lovell stuck her fist into a thin layer of ice on Lake Harriet, the Art Shanty Project property. It’s about half an inch thick and must be at least 10 inches thick to build a pop-up art village on a frozen lake.
“We’re just patiently waiting for the ice to solidify right now,” Lovell said. “At this point, it’s really borderline. It may or may not happen.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event, and the Art Shanti team has adopted an ice forecast building chart that allows input of high and low temperatures.
Construction of the shack is scheduled to begin on January 13th, and event organizers have until January 12th to decide whether there will be enough ice to build on it or whether it will be called “Pran Beach” like last year. A decision will be made as to whether the event needs to be relocated to the called coast. ”
Lovell said the event will be held in 2023, but faced other weather obstacles.
“The ice was fine until last year when we had a freak snowstorm that insulated the ice and melted it,” she said. “I think we’re moving into a period where winter weather is less predictable.”
Lovell said the Art Shanti Project revised its mission statement in 2021 to address climate change. Currently, it states, “The Art Shanty Project is intentionally creating a permanent art village on the ice of Minnesota’s lakes as the climate and environment change.”
Spicer Winterfest, January 20th – February 11th
Some early events at the 39th Annual Spicer Winterfest have been canceled due to warm weather. Both were scheduled for his January 20th day, including the Central Minnesota Pond Racing event and the Spicer Speed ​​Run, an oval race.
Other ongoing events include a Frozen 5K, polar plunge, Scandinavian kick sled, fireworks, and a bonfire on the beach.
“Other decisions regarding changes and cancellations have not yet been finalized,” said Beth Fisher, executive director of the Wilmar Lakes Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Winterfest Committee will meet next week to decide on any other changes or cancellations.
World Snow Sculpture Championship, Stillwater: January 17-21.
So far, the mild winter and lack of snow have not affected the operation of the World Snow Sculpture Championship in Stillwater.
“You don’t really need Mother Nature’s snow to make a sculpture,” said Robin Anthony, president of the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event. “We actually make ‘clean snow.'”
Anthony said the Afton Alps team brought in snow trucks and has already started making snow in the Lowell Park parking lot in downtown Stillwater. Snowmaking is best when temperatures are in the teens.
“We just hook up a hose to a fire hydrant downtown and blow it when it gets cold,” Anthony said. “At some point, a very large parking lot will look like a large whale.”
Ice Castle, Maple Grove: Delayed opening
The Maple Grove Ice Castle is one of six frosty structures built by Utah-based Ice Castle Co. across the country, including in Wisconsin, Colorado, Utah, New Hampshire and New York. Ice Castles founder Brent Christensen said the weather was “weird” at all the venues, but Minnesota usually handles the cold better.
But this year, the attraction’s opening was delayed by more than a month after the first attempts to build the ice castles, which often reach 30 feet in height, were hampered by high temperatures in early December.
“It was about 6 or 8 feet high in places. Then it completely melted into the soil,” said Christensen, who is based in Alpine, Utah. “So we’re kind of starting over, which is fine, but it definitely set us back.”
“This year is a little strange, a little unpredictable, and unfortunately we’re seeing more and more of that,” Christensen said.
At ideal temperatures, he says, he can create two feet of vertical ice in a day. He predicts the site will be completed by the end of January and will remain up and running until February.
Ice Palace Delano, MN: January 25th
Ice Palace Minnesota at Delano Central Park was originally scheduled to open on December 22nd. But the 90,000-square-foot structure requires several weeks of subzero temperatures for the ice to grow.
“Last year we were able to start construction in November,” said Anna Smith, general manager of the Idaho-based Ice Palaces company. Construction didn’t start until late December this year. The entire process will take about three weeks, but Smith said the Ice Palaces team will continue to expand the structure after it opens.
In 2023, the site opened on December 27th and had 45,000 visitors during that period.
“We had some very tough conversations about whether we should move forward this year, but we decided to move forward,” Smith said.
Ice Palace Minnesota will be there until the end of February.