Icefest comes every two years to Hamilton, benefitting City of Sculpture, the non-profit organization that purchases and maintains beautiful sculptures around town. City of Sculpture promotes art in Hamilton, creating a place to live, work, and play where kids and adults alike can appreciate the craft and fun of artistic expression.
This year, Icefest is presented by Kettering Health Network and promises to be an excellent celebration of ice carving with its lighthearted Game Night theme. If you are planning to spend Friday evening or all day Saturday enjoying the gorgeous ice sculptures that will pop up downtown, make sure to catch all the festivities. Bring your copy of the Hamiltonian along to complete this checklist!O
Ooh and Ahh at Fire and Ice
The Fire & Ice Carving Show, a sculpting demonstration that incorporates both fire and live carving of ice, is a sight to behold. Watch as the carvers get to work on their gigantic sculpture, starting at 7pm on Friday night. When the sculpture is complete, the carvers will add fire and the sculpture will light up the night!
Stroll Along the Technicolor Ice Walk With Projections and Lights
Over 50 ice sculptures along High Street offer the chance to admire the sparkling handiwork of the ice artisans who participate in Icefest. On Friday night, lights will grace the sculptures along the Courthouse, revealing every facet and throwing off beautiful prismatic color. Projections of snowflakes and other designs will swirl on the surrounding buildings, making the chilly night bright.
Try Plinko at Artspace
The Strauss Gallery, located in the Artspace building next to Rotary Park , will host to a fun game of Plinko during Saturday’s activities. Take a break from the cold and play this life sized game while also admiring the art on display throughout the gallery.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled for These Game-Themed Sculptures
You can find video game favorites like Pikachu and Mario, as well as a monster from Rampage hiding amongst the skyline of Hamilton. A blast from childhood’s past might occur when you find the Rock’em Sock’em Robots or ice sculptures inspired by Scrabble and Chess Who knows? You might even find a few characters from your favorite game!
Play Mini Golf and Explore the New Bookmobile in Journal Square
Journal Square, located on High Street next to True West Coffee Downtown, will host ice-sculpture mini-golf, as well as a few other icy games. You can also visit the brand-new bookmobile from The Lane Libraries, where you can find great books to check out.
Take Your Rightful Seat in the Ice Throne for a Picture
Stop by the Children’s Area, located in Journal Square, to find this icy seat! Children and adults alike are encouraged to take part in this photo op and enjoy the chance to be the Ice King or Queen as long as they can handle cold!
Vote for the People’s Choice Sculpture in Competition Alley
Start off your Saturday at Competition Alley, located on Second Street beside the courthouse, which will include a variety of highly skilled carvers sculpting ice blocks using their own inspiration.Watch the fun and then vote for your favorite; the carvers themselves will also vote on the best sculpture for the Carver’s Choice awards.
Watch Speed Carvers Go Head to Head to Carve in 10 Minutes or Less
After competitive carving concludes, the ice will fly as the amazing ice carvers are given the task of speed carving a block of ice; watch in Competition Alley but make sure you are standing back a reasonable distance for this impressive display of agility and excellence.
Watch our Feature Carver Reveal an Enormous Ice Sculpture
After IceFest’s smaller sculptures, the Feature Carver’s ice sculpture is likely to be quite the sight to behold. By combining many ice blocks together, this will be one of the largest sculptures of the entire festival; past years have yielded a ferocious T-Rex and an intricate spaceship. You’ll have to show up for Icefest: Game Night to find out what this year’s themed sculpture will be. The feature will work on this creation throughout the event on Friday.
Warm Up and Shop Local at ArtFest in the Municipal Building
Twenty arts and crafts vendors will set up inside so that you can take a break from viewing the ice outside in the chilly air and shop till you drop. Not only are these artisans providing beautiful crafts and gifts, supporting them is a great way to “give back” at this free event that is open to the public. It might be a good time to pick up a Valentine’s day gift for someone special.
IceFest happens this year on January 18th and 19th in downtown Hamilton; people journey from far away to see these beautiful sculptures and to take advantage of a festival in the middle of winter. Bundle up and join the fun before the ice melts away!