Theresa's Mixed Nuts: Ice Fun at Niles Ice Festival

Monday, January 25, 2016

Ice Fun at Niles Ice Festival

Every year, Niles, Michigan holds an ice festival. Since it was pretty warm at last year's fest, we skipped it because a lot of the ice sculptures were melting and soggy. But this year, the temps were perfect for a weekend of frozen fun! Warning: this is a photo heavy post, but the sculptures make it worth it :)

Niles Ice Festival

For 3 days, visitors got to view gorgeous ice sculptures and partake in some really fun snow and ice activities!

Ice Carving

There were little sculptures....

Ice Carving ViolinIce Carving Seahorse


Ice Carving Cookie MonsterIce Carving Oscar the Grouch

Ice Carving MinionIce Carving Cinderella's Slipper

Ice Carving Niles Ice Festival

and some really big ice sculptures...

Ice Carving Eiffle TowerNiles Ice Festival

Ice Carving Mammoth

Ice Carving SpartanIce Carving Dragon

Superheros & Villains...

Ice Carving Wonder WomanIce Carving Darth Vader

Sillies...

Niles Ice Festival

and my personal favorite, a castle fit for a princess...

Ice Carving Castle Niles Ice Festival

Ice Carving Castle

that was probably constructed by Elsa herself...

Niles Ice Festival

Families got to enjoy even more fun with the free snow and ice games. There was ice bowling and mini golf, sledding, snowball corn hole, ping pong, and a mini snowman building competition!

Ice Carving Ping Pong Table

The girls had fun going down the slide made of ice. And, I may have taken a trip down it myself...

Niles Ice FestivalNiles Ice Festival

Some of the local businesses were even generously passing out free sandwiches, cookies and hot cocoa to help stave off the cold! If you are planning a trip around Michigan next winter, try to make it out to the Niles Ice Festival if possible. You won't be disappointed!


What was your favorite featured ice sculpture?



44 comments:

  1. oh, my, the Spartan rider, the dragon, the castle, the canon balls, they are all done so perfectly. I imagine with this weather they will last for weeks there :)
    Meanwhile, those snowmen sure are ugly as hell :)))

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    1. How come there's no sculptureof you, Dezzzmeister?

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  2. I do hope they last a little while, but we haven't been hit with the snow and cold like our neighbors to the east. Some of the smaller ones were already starting to crumble in the sun.

    Yes, the snowmen are pretty ugly, but they were all done by toddlers so we gave them a pass on their artistic skills lol :)

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  3. I've never actually seen an ice sculpture up close. I think it would be fun!

    Today I'll be gone all day judging for high school Scholastic Art Awards. It will either be fun, or I'll feel like I waisted my time.

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    1. Allison was a moron and thought it would be fun to lick one. Gross! I guess she didn't think how many hands touched them.

      Have fun at your art awards! I hope you share some photos with us of some of your favorite pieces!

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    2. ewwww.... hope her tongue didn't froze to it :)

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    3. Would have served her right if it did. Sometime you have to wonder wtf kids are thinking!

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  4. I see Elsa made it to Michigan again--hope your younger daughter liked her this time ;)

    Nice sculptures

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    1. She seems to be everywhere these days. I'm personally tired of seeing her all the time lol.

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    2. and this one seems like she ate well over the winter :)

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    3. maybe she found her ice king and is pregnant?

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    4. or is hiding Olaf under her dress

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  5. That sure takes some talent to do. The castle has to be my favorite is it is just wow. Darth Vader was a fun one too.

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    1. I was so impressed with the details on the castle! I be little girls would have fun playing dolls on that thing!

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  6. oooh my...such a lovely festival indeed, Theresa. I love the castle as well. I bet my daughter will be so excited to be here..

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    1. I bet she would, Indah! I bet Bo would love it too. There was a lot that appealed to boys as well :)

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  7. They are all amazing. My favorite is the castle. I am always blown away by what they can sculpt our of ice.

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  8. That is so cool. I love the Darth Vader one!

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  9. Those carvings are impressive! I would love to go down the slide :)

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  10. How cool. It is amazing what a little big of water and creativity can do. Such talent.

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  11. How cool that Anna and Elsa was there!Ice sculptures are so cool!

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  12. I have never been to an ice festival, but when we go on cruises, they always have a night where they do ice carving.

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  13. I wish I could carve ice like that. It would take me so long it would just end up being a big puddle.

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  14. This is so cool. I lived so close to Niles and I never knew about this festival. These sculptures are awesome!

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  15. Oh those are awesome! I have always wanted to see people make the sculptors, they look amazing

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  16. What a great event!! Those are some good looking sculptures.

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  17. that ping pong table is pretty neat

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  18. How beautiful! I absolutely love that castle. How amazing and the time that was spent to put into it. Amber N

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  19. These are great ice sculptures. It takes an artistic and creative touch to make them. I really admire artists.

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  20. Some of them are really exquisite and on my! How fun is that ice slide!?? Lil Pumpkin would be sooo excited there! :)

    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

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  21. Wow, those are really amazing. I love them all and not sure I could pick just one. They are really quite artistic and detailed.

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  22. It just blows my mind that people are able to make creations like that out of ice. Talk about skill and absolutely beautiful pieces to look at.

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  23. Those are amazing! These people are so talented.

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  24. My fave is the muscle man you can put your head on top of, lol. I've seen some ice sculpting in Frankenmuth. I didn't know they had it in Niles too. Very cool. :)

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  25. Oh how fun! This would be so cool to see in person. Some people are so super talented, and it shows. These are awesome. - Jeanine

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  26. This would be a great way to spend the day. We have a similar festival here in Ottawa.

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  27. It is amazing what you can make out of ice. These sculptures are so beautiful. This is a great way to spend time outdoors with the kids.

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  28. That looks really fun and cold. If you weren't in the photo, I'd have had no idea the Eiffel Tower was so big. It's all very impressive. Ice slide looks painful, though. Your girls are brave.
    Happy Tuesday, Theresa.

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  29. I love a good ice sculpture. The castle of course. Who doesn't like a beautiful castle?

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  30. I want to go to an ice festival! I wonder if they have something similar here in Montreal! Takes a lot of talent to work with ice!

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  31. Wow such talent. I can't even pick my favorite one. I just found out my neighbor used to supply the ice for sculpting and there is a lot more to it than I would have thought. What a fun family day out Theresa! Cheers.

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  32. My goodness, this is beautiful. I have never heard about such festival before, but it looks so much fun & I am loving those beautifully handmade Ice sculptures that looks stunning. The Superheros & Villains and the Caste fit are just amazing.

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  33. I'm in awe of the talent and creativity that goes in to the sculptures. Looks like a fun time.

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