The best winter carnivals in the USA

What began as a cross-country ski race in 1984 has evolved into a 10-day winter extravaganza. Key festival events include the International Snow Sculpting Symposium, a non-competitive event where professional artists can be seen working on their creations, and the Ely ArtWalk, with stores downtown showcasing pieces by local artists. This year’s festival also has snowshoe tours of Listening Point, the woodsy retreat of conservationist Sigurd F. Olson, and the U.S. Molkky Winter Championship, based upon this Finnish yard game.

The Ely Winter Festival runs Feb. 1-11, 2024.

Founded in 1981 and then renamed in 2008, SNOWFEST is a 10-day Mardi Gras mountain festival that’s beaming with activities for families and adults. One of the largest winter mountain festivals on the West Coast, SNOWFEST offers quite the calendar of events throughout North Lake Tahoe. The schedule includes a polar bear swim, a Mardi Gras-style parade in downtown Tahoe City, a milk jug curling competition, a snow golf tournament, sculpture contests and a cross-country ski race.

The North Lake Tahoe SNOWFEST runs Feb. 29 to Mar. 10, 2024.

Held on weekends in January, the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, Washington, recognizes Fasching, a traditional German carnival celebration that has been celebrated since the 13th century. Amid a snowy backdrop and a ton of twinkling lights, the Winter Karneval presents many events, such as ice carvings, firework displays, and live entertainment.

The Winter Karneval happens on weekends during January 2024, but visit the event’s website for updates.

The original Okoboji Winter Games began with a broomball tournament in 1981 on the frozen waters of a fish hatchery. Since then, they have grown to happen on the last full weekend of January, including all sorts of sports competitions, live music and entertainment. They extend to a massive and colorful kite festival, a 5K fun run, open skating sessions, a polar bear plunge, a cribbage game, and the Burning of the Greens, a mass burning of Christmas trees.

The University of Okoboji Winter Games runs Jan. 25-28, 2024.

The 10-day Saint Paul Winter Carnival, the oldest winter festival in the U.S., celebrates all things winter through longtime activities and recently added events. The winter carnival includes a Vulcan Snow Park, ice carving competitions, fire and ice run, parades, scavenger hunts, live entertainment, and educational activities. A Royal Coronation introduces King Boreas, the Mighty Monarch of Ice and Snow, along with his Royal Guards; Aurora, the Queen of the Snows; and the four Wind Princes and Princesses.

The Saint Paul Winter Carnival runs Jan. 25 to Feb. 4, 2024.

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is linked to Saranac Lake’s history as a place for rest and rejuvenation in the late 19th century. Starting in 1897 as a one-day event, this winter festival has grown into a 10-day carnival. It is perhaps best known for its volunteer-built Ice Palace, which was introduced a year after the carnival’s start and is still constructed with ice blocks. Along with having a royal court and a snowy owl mascot, the frigid festivities include fireworks, parades, performances and sporting events like ski races, curling and fry pan tosses.

The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival runs Feb. 2-11, 2024.

Begun in 1911, the Dartmouth Winter Carnival has been annually coordinated by Dartmouth College to honor the accomplishments of the College's winter sports teams and pay homage to this season. The weekend offers a new theme each year, with a coinciding poster, T-shirt and a calendar of captivating winter sports events. It is welcomed in with an opening celebration, followed by ice sculpture contest, a polar bear swim, a 99-Cent Ski Day and Human Dog Sled Races.

The Dartmouth Winter Carnival runs Feb. 8-11, 2024.

What started 111 years ago to help alleviate winter cabin fever has evolved into an entertaining winter carnival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The 2024 Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival features traditional and eclectic winter events, including a s’mores-themed family-friendly party, various ski jumping competitions, horse-drawn skiing and snowboarding and sightings of the “Lighted Man” in a pyrotechnic suit.

The Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival runs Feb. 7-11, 2024.

Founded in 1935, Fur Rondy, as the locals call it, offers 12 days of wacky winter events, including ones reflecting different facets of Alaska’s history. Its schedule features the Official Rondy Fur Auction, the World Championship Sled Dog Race, the Rondy Curling Bonspiel, the Blanket Toss, an ancient Alaska Native tradition, outhouse races and the Running of the Reindeer, which is like Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls but much gentler.

The Fur Rendezvous runs Feb. 22 to March 3, 2024.

Oregon WinterFest is the northwest's biggest winter festival. Events include live music, ice carvings, fire pits and sculptures, light art installations, a marketplace and carnival rides. There’s also the Hot Cocoa Run for adults, a 5K complete with a hot chocolate bar at the finish line, and the Kid's Mini Marshmallow Run, where children run to stations collecting the ingredients to make cocoa before enjoying a post-race cup of cocoa.

The Oregon WinterFest runs Feb. 16-18, 2024.

The 10-day Newport Winter Festival includes live entertainment and food and drink events. An annual chili cook-off puts area restaurants and caterers to the test in determining who makes the best local chili. There’s also a yearly best hot drink contest (for ages 21+) where participating bars and restaurants submit concoctions. Other events include a tropical drink competition (also for ages 21+), a Mac and Cheese Smackdown, a comedy show, and, for children, family shows and a Princess Party.

The Newport Winter Festival runs Feb. 16-25, 2024.

Wintersköl was born in 1951 when locals wanted to celebrate their alpine lifestyle. The four-day festival includes ice and snow sculptures carved by Colorado artist Thomas Barlow; a Game of Stones Curling Competition; Soupsköl, a competition among local restaurants for the best soup; a "Kidsculpt," featuring school teams involved in a challenge of making snow creations; and the Torchlight Descent, a torchlight procession down Aspen Mountain that concludes with fireworks.

Wintersköl runs Jan. 11-14, 2024.

Marking its 50th year, the Stowe Winter Carnival brings out zany sports events and fun activities for all ages around this Vermont ski town. On the festival’s Demonstration Day, watch professional ice carvers create impressive ice carvings throughout town. Other must-see activities include a NICA-sanctioned Ice Carving Competition and a Snowvolleyball Tournament.

The 50th annual Stowe Winter Carnival runs Jan. 18-20, 2024.

Six weeks of winter fun happens at Frostival with events spread mostly across Fargo and West Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota. The festivities celebrate not only the season but also the region’s Scandinavian heritage. The festival will include a snowman competition, children’s events, Viking dinners, cardboard sled races, a winter birding festival, and a pond hockey tournament.

Frostival runs Jan. 13 to Feb. 24, 2024.

This North Carolina mountain region turns into a winter wonderland with its surrounding towns hosting a weekend of activities. The event schedule includes a Maggie Valley Ice Festival, with onsite ice carvings, food trucks, ice slides, and games such as ice cornhole and hockey. Other highlights include a Scandinavian-themed arts and crafts festival, a rubber penguin race and an evening ice stroll event in Downtown Waynesville, with businesses staying open later.

The NC Smokies Ice Fest Weekend runs Jan. 26-28, 2024.