Stay Cool at These 5 Ice Festivals

Ice carvings come to life every winter at spectacular festivals around the world. Check out these five celebrations for frosty fun before the season’s over!

1. Winterlude, Ontario, Canada
   Celebrate the season in Canada’s capital with a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities. This is your chance to marvel at the International Ice Carving Competition, find local goodies at the Ottawa Farmer’s Winter Market or activate a set of 30 illuminated tubes and speakers at Chimes – Interactive Light & Sound Installation. Be sure to stop by Unikkaaqtuarniq: Stories from the North to watch films by people indigenous to the Arctic projected onto the walls of a theatre made of snow.
2. Carnival de Quebec, Quebec, Canada
   Head to the world’s snow capital every February for 10 days of family-friendly excitement. Debuted in 1894 to help townspeople through the harsh Canadian winters, this annual event has evolved into a community-wide celebration of the winter season. A jaw-dropping parade, featuring multi-media art, pyrotechnics and travelling performances, marks the beginning and end of Carnival de Quebec. With an Ice Palace and activities all over Quebec City, this is truly a can’t-miss experience.
3. Paul Winter Carnival, St. Paul, Minnesota
   If you like friendly competition, you won’t want to miss the Minnesota State Snow Sculpting Competition during St. Paul, Minnesota’s Winter Carnival. Visitors are encouraged to watch as teams of three transform eight-cubic-foot blocks of compacted snow into works of art in just three days using only hand tools. While you’re in town, grab the family and head to Vulcan Snow Park for even more activities and events, including a giant snow slide and snow flag football tournament.
4. Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, Saranac Lake, New York
   The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is the longest-running event of its kind in the eastern United States and with a 2020 theme like “Myths and Legends,” this year is sure to be legendary. Kids young and old will love watching local first responders take to the ice for the Firefighter’s Broomball Tournament. Maybe nighttime skiing and fireworks are more your speed? No matter what, this festival has outdoor fun for everyone.
5. Oregon WinterFest, Bend, Oregon
   Held every year over the President’s Day long weekend in February, Oregon WinterFest is ‘the’ family-friendly Winter festival in Central Oregon. The live music, regional food, and a wide range of local businesses are just the beginning when it comes to fun. Grab a hot cocoa to keep you warm as you wander through the ice carvings, fire pits and light art that illuminate the banks of the Deschutes River thanks to WinterFest’s Light, Ice & Fire Exposition (L.I.F.E.).

After you enjoy a day at the ice festivals, chill out at Best Western Hotels & Resorts. Offering thousands of locations in exciting destinations around the world, Today’s Best Western is the perfect stop before and after your winter fun this season.