When the mercury plummets and winter arrives, festivals the world over typically celebrate the snow and ice that comes with it. Mammoth ice sculptures are carved, snow slides spring up and fireworks glitter over all the frosty creations. We're celebrating the season with beautiful photos from the world's snow and ice events.
Click or scroll to discover the very best ice and snow festivals around the globe...
The brainchild of Utah-based artist Brent Christensen, these ice castles appear in five locations in North America each year, including Utah, Minnesota and New Hampshire. Thousands of icicles are fashioned into incredible icy confections, which include slot canyons, slides, tunnels and more. Throw in plenty of rainbow LED lights and you've got yourself a veritable winter wonderland. Dates are dependent on conditions, so keep an eye on the event website for details and book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Breckenridge is lauded for its ski resort and dreamy Rocky Mountains location – and come January there's usually another reason to visit. The International Snow Sculpture Championships see teams come together to transform gargantuan blocks of snow into mind-blowing works of art. All the work is done by hand (power tools are prohibited) and the finished creations are spectacularly lit by night. The next event takes place 22-31 January 2024.
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More icy artworks are on display at the International Ice Sculpture Festival in Jelgava, a leafy city in central Latvia. The theme for 2024's event (28 January-4 February) is 'treasures of the world', with previous sculptures tackling 'ancient deities' and 'the glorious animal world'. There's usually ice skating and live music too, but be sure to check the website, as things are subject to change.
Since 1979, the Canadian capital has embraced the cold with Winterlude (2-19 February 2024), a near three-week event complete with snow slides, skating and sculptures galore. There’s a Snowphy Trophy sculpture competition in Glebe, while William Street puts on a fantastic light-art installation in the ByWard Market. Other events to look forward to are the Ice Dragon Boat Festival, a Snowflake Kingdom and screenings of Indigenous films.
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This enchanting music festival in the tiny mountain village of Finse will celebrate its 18th installment between 19-24 Feb 2024. If the stunning location wasn't magical enough, the event has another twist: all the instruments, and the concert venue itself, are wrought from natural ice. The concept is the brainchild of experimental Norwegian musician Terje Isungset and there are also presentations from polar scientists about the Greenland ice sheet and the Arctic.
Tipped as the largest event of its kind in Europe, Poznań's International Ice Sculpture Festival usually draws artists and spectators from the world over and has done so for more than a decade. Some 10 tonnes of ice are transformed into everything from reindeer to fairies and visitors can head to the city's Old Town Square to see the sculptors at work. The 2024 Festival runs between 8-10 December.
Sapporo Snow Festival is a popular winter event in northern Japan. The festival is usually split into three sites including Odori Park, where visitors will find Disney characters and even entire buildings warped from snow, and the Susukino district, where glittering ice sculptures sit alongside an ice bar. The 2024 event will take place 4-11 February. InsideJapan Tours run a Winter Highlights trip that includes a visit to the Sapporo Snow Festival too.
Held over six weeks, Fairbanks' World Ice Art Championships bring together more than 100 artists from across the country and beyond. Since 1990, visitors have come to see blocks of ice hewn into jaw-dropping displays in a series of competitions – the 2024 event is scheduled for 17 February-31 March.
Described as a celebration of ice-cold art, the World Snow Festival, held in the pretty Alpine village of Grindelwald and Männlichen ski resort, has been running since 1983. Artists typically descend on the town from all over the world, conjuring towering hunks of snow into some weird and downright wonderful designs, ready to be surveyed by expert judges. The festival was sadly cancelled in 2023, so its planned theme of "tradition" has carried over to the 2024 event (15-20 January 2024) – keep an eye on the website for up-to-date info.
Visitors usually have a whole month to sample the delights of the Snowking Winter Festival (2-29 March 2024), which takes place in the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories. Each year Yellowknife locals use the icy weather to their advantage and an impressive castle is constructed from snow and ice. It's used to host cultural events, from live music to theatre.
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This festival gets extra points for its stunning location in Banff National Park at the castle-like Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Here, artists carve a winter wonderland of sculptures each year, from ice queens to woolly mammoths, and there are usually opportunities for wintry activities like tubing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing too. The main event will take place between 19 January-4 February 2024, and guests at a number of hotels in Lake Louise can see smaller sculpture displays and local carvers at work in certain areas during those dates as well.
A celebration of the snowy season in Swedish Lapland, the Kiruna Snow Festival (24-28 January 2024) is a five-day bonanza of wintry fun. There's a snow sculpture competition, plus the chance for outdoorsy activities including dog sledding, snow-designed playground and skating. Quizzes, live music and a craft fair typically add to the fun too. Keep an eye on the website for updates.
The little city of Zwolle – around 70 miles (113km) north-east of Amsterdam – puts on a glittering annual display of ice and snow sculptures. More than 500 tonnes of snow and ice are typically whipped into shape, with the frosty artworks tailored to whimsical themes. The next event is scheduled for 16 December 2023-25 February 2024 – you need to select a specific time slot when ordering tickets.
One of the world's most celebrated winter-sports festivals, X Games (26-28 January 2024) is held at the Buttermilk ski area in Aspen, Colorado each January. Anticipated sporting events include the Big Air ski and snowboard finals – where athletes perform all manner of heart-thumping airborne tricks – plus superpipe, snow-biking and slopestyle competitions. Beyond the games, there's typically also plenty of live music and, of course, the chance to hit the slopes yourself.
Alberta's capital city usually has little shortage of wintry events, but the Ice on Whyte Festival (18-20 January 2024) is a perennial crowd-pleaser. In addition to the Ice Carving Competition, you'll be able to take in an impressive ice sculpture garden, along with food-themed walking tours, ice carving lessons and live demonstrations.
The Winter Carnival (running now through 26 January 2024) is a highlight of Saint Paul's annual calendar and it has a schedule packed to the gills with wintry events. Much of the fun happens in the Vulcan Snow Park, which generally includes bucketloads of snowy attractions, including a snow maze, sculpting competitions and a play area for kids. The Facebook page has event updates.
This snow and ice sculpture festival has been hosted annually in Valloire for almost four decades. Imaginative snow and ice sculptures dot the picturesque ski area for up to a week and visitors can typically warm up with some mulled wine or hot chocolate and wander between the sculptures as the winners are decided. The next event is planned for 16-19 January 2024.
Dubbed the largest annual winter festival in Western Canada, the Festival du Voyageur – or Festival of the Traveller – takes place in Winnipeg's attractive French District each year. It's both a celebration of the snow and the area's French-Canadian heritage, with stunning snow sculptures, as well as live music and regional cuisine on offer. The next festival is scheduled for 16-25 February 2024.
To witness some true snow-sports hijinks, visitors can book tickets to the World Ski and Snowboard Festival, held in the world-class ski area of Whistler. Attendees are treated to the usual adrenaline-fuelled winter sports – including big air competitions and what's tipped as the steepest ski race in the world – plus film screenings, art and photography exhibitions and live music. Hailed as the largest festival of its kind in North America, the event typically takes place in April – see the Facebook page for details closer to the time.
An ice festival with a difference, this winter event (18-21 January 2024) in southwestern Colorado is usually one for adrenaline junkies. Ouray Ice Park is a man-made ice climbing venue, set within a natural gorge: the breathtaking ice formations are made by spraying water down the rugged canyon walls. And to celebrate the unique setting, an ice festival including climbing, pool party and themed party is held each year.
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When the temperature drops in New York's Saranac Lake, the folks here celebrate in style – the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival (2-11 February 2024) has been a local tradition since 1897, with the highlight being an elaborate illuminated ice palace. Alongside the frosty palace – the first of which was constructed right back in 1898 – there's also usually a parade, ski races, snowshoe softball and a closing fireworks display.
The city of Québec, which dubs itself the world's snow capital, comes to life in the winter, not least because of its winter carnival. An entire ice palace is built, snow sculptures abound and the event's beloved mascot, a snowman figure named Bonhomme, can be seen all over town. This season the event will be spread over several districts and is planned for 25 January-11 February 2024.
The mother of all the world's snow and ice events, Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (20 December 2023-early March 2024) puts on a jaw-dropping display of monuments. Spread over four sites, or theme parks, the festival includes giant ice and snow sculptures – think full-blown castles and intricate temple-like structures – as well as an ice lantern fair and wintry sports like snow football.
Now take a look at these images of snow and ice in unexpected destinations