There are plenty of winter events, winter adventures and winter carnivals in Wisconsin, but what makes a winter festival an honest to goodness winter wonderland?
The answer comes from the organizers of this year’s Winterfest in Lake Geneva, where the national snow sculpting champions will be crowned, bonfires and s’mores on the beach will be back by popular demand along with human dog sled races, and fire dance performances and winter-inspired movies at the Geneva Theater will keep crowds entertained.
The 2020 event takes place Jan. 29 through Feb. 2 at Riviera Plaza, spilling over across the street to Flat Iron Park downtown, with the snow sculpting champs to be announced Feb. 1.
This marks the 35th year for the United States National Snow Sculpting Championship, with Lake Geneva hosting the last 25 years, so there’s no denying this community loves winter and the white stuff in a big, you might even say larger-than-life, way. The City of Lake Geneva is offering free shuttle service to the event. For a full schedule, log on to WinterfestLG.com.
VISIT Lake Geneva CEO Stephanie Klett took a frosty, as in frosty-fun, tone in setting up the allure of this long-running winter tradition.
“These five days will be packed, just the way we like it, with the snow sculpting starting right away on Wednesday,” Klett said. “These are 15 teams of the most talented snow sculptors who’ve won their state championships and it’s amazing to see these artists hard at work competing for the national title, with the entire competition free and open to the public.”
Snow sculpting
Official carving start time is 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, for the Snow Sculpting Championship.
This year’s teams hail from as far away as Alaska and Maine and come from close to home too with teams representing Wisconsin and neighboring states. The judging panel is made up of the participants themselves, all 45 snow sculptors, and they choose their top five, with the only caveat that they not vote for themselves.
The winning teams will be crowned at 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1. Visitors can participate in the People’s Choice award by voting for their favorites on Saturday at voting locations in the Riviera Ballroom and the Lake Geneva Visitor Center.
On an interesting side note, the snow sculpting competition is not dependent on snow falling, with the ski hill at Grand Geneva Resort making the snow and a crew of “snow stompers” taking turns stomping down the snow inside the cylindrical forms that measure 8 feet in diameter and 9 feet tall.
Warming up
Fest-goers needn’t worry about feeling a chill, not with a Downtown Cocoa Crawl on Friday, Jan. 31, and an indoor marketplace in the Riviera Ballroom Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 1 and 2.
Nearby restaurants will be serving hearty comfort food too, including Champs Sports Bar & Grill which is hosting a bourbon whiskey dinner pairing and will have a heated outdoor beer garden. For more warmth, try the warming igloos at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Pier 290 or The Ridge Hotel, where you can curl up with a hot toddy and enjoy some tasty nibbles too.
The Ridge will also have an outdoor bar made entirely of ice. Families are invited to Gallery 223 downtown to enjoy indoor arts activities hosted by the Geneva Lakes Arts Foundation.
Klett and her team are expecting to welcome some 60,000 visitors over the five-day run of Winterfest.
“Talk about a party with tens of thousands of your closest friends and family,” Klett said.
She’s encouraging visitors to post their photos using the hashtag #mylakegeneva.
“There is nothing more Insta-worthy than those massive snow sculptures that you really have to see to believe,” Klett added.
Other attractions
According to the organizers of Ice Castles, found online at www.IceCastles.com, this year’s Lake Geneva attraction at Geneva National Resort is about one acre in size, more than double last winter’s location.
Crews of ice artists are expecting to spend a total of 4,000 hours shaping and assembling the frozen icicles. It’s a daily process of growing the icicles and harvesting by hand, placing the new icicles into formations and then drenching them with water.
If weather cooperates, the attraction is expected to open late January and could be open until early March, giving visitors ample opportunity to take in the LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides and fountains that make up the ice castle.
The concept for Ice Castles was created when founder and Utah resident Brent Christensen attempted to build an ice cave for his daughter in the front yard of his home in Alpine, Utah. The project turned into a winter hit drawing crowds of locals to visit and tour his creation. Ice Castles has since turned into an internationally renowned tourist attraction with six locations across North America and growing.
More fun in Lake Geneva
Strap on skis or a snowboard, your choice, and schuss down the slopes at The Mountain Top at Grand Geneva. There’s also sledding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing there plus an ice skating rink. Or take to the trees and zipline at Lake Geneva Canopy Tours.
The complete Winterfest schedule along with a rundown of all the wintry goings-on around the area can be found at WinterfestLG.com.
For more information, visit VisitLakeGeneva.com.
