5 Winter Festivities Worth the Frosty Weather Conditions

By Kait Spong

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the Winter break? Mmm, delightful. Despite the harsh conditions, especially in the northern parts of the U.S., there is still plenty to do during Wintertime as opposed to “nowhere to go.” Whether you’re racing reindeer in Anchorage, Alaska or honoring a cryogenically frozen dead grandpa in Nederland, Colorado, these Winter events bring unique celebrations and festivities to the table when the joyous days of Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years are long gone.

So, add up those frequent flyer miles or pack the whole gang into the car for a cross-country road trip because you will not want to miss a second of this extraordinary line-up of carnivals, festivals, and events that make an appearance during this very special time of year—but unlike Santa, they stick around for more than just one magical evening.

Saint Paul Winter Carnival

January 25th – February 10th in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Started in 1886, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival touts itself as the oldest Winter festival in the United States. Saint Paul’s Rice Park sets the stage for this fantastical Winter Wonderland where carnival goers will find one of the Winter Carnival’s signature events: an Ice Sculpture Garden, which boasts beautiful frozen masterpieces that are created by local artists. But the People’s Ice Palace is the belle of the Winter ball, towering 70-feet over Rice Park for all seventeen days of Carnival activities!

There’s also parades, a marathon, a treasure hunt, a snow park, a snowplow competition, a royal coronation, and a cat show to enjoy. Was it just us, or did that list of carnival events grow increasingly more bizarre and awesome as the sentence continued?

Fur Rendezvous

February 23rd – March 3rd in Anchorage, Alaska

If you can find any way to make it to Alaska for the Fur Rendezvous, or the Fur Rondy as locals call it, then we guarantee it will be well worth your time. What better way to spend some of your Winter then in a frozen arctic terrain of the U.S.’s most sparsely populated state?

Fur Rondy began in 1935 as a three-day sporting event to coincide with the return of miners and trappers. The original event included skiing, hockey, basketball, boxing, and a children’s dog sled race down Fourth Avenue. Today, the events have endlessly multiplied with hundreds of activities including competitions, races, parties, fun runs, scavenger hunts, auctions, tournaments, and more! But don’t miss out on the event of the event line-up: Running with the Reindeer, which is the Alaskan version of Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls—it really is a sight to behold.

Frozen Dead Guy Days

March 9th, 10th, and 11th in Nederland, Colorado

Maybe the name is not the most appealing of the festive Winter events featured on our list, but you must admit it’s pretty funny, and at the very least—eye-catching. Best of all, the festival lives up to its name, known as one of the “most unique and quirky” events in the United States.

The history of Frozen Dead Guy Days is what makes it stand out even more from the others that made our list. You see, the term “Frozen Dead Guy” is pretty literal. After his death is 1989, Bredo Morstoel, a Norwegian immigrant of the U.S., was cryogenically frozen by his family with hopes of reviving him one day when the technology was able. Even though his grandson, Trygve Bauge, was deported from the U.S. in the mid-90s, he has arranged for his grandfather’s corpse to be cared for over the past 21 years—and by cared for, we mean stored inside a Tuff Shed within a homemade freezer box packed monthly with 1,600 to 1,800 pounds of dry ice by a mysterious man, who became known by locals as the “Ice Man.”

Celebrating its 17th year and the 112th birthday of Morstoel, the 2018 Frozen Dead Guy Days will boast over 30 live bands, coffin racing, costumed polar plunging, a parade of hearses, an ice sculpting contest, frozen t-shirt contests, a silent disco, and even an Ice Queen & Grandpa costume contest. It’s Nederland’s way of saying, “Hey, we’re a little morbid, but we still like to party.”

Polar Bear Plunge Fest

January 25th – 27th in Annapolis, Maryland

Be one of the 10,000 courageous plungers to head to Sandy Point State Park this Winter for the 2018 MSP Polar Bear Plunge, a fundraising event to support the Maryland Special Olympics and the 7,500+ athletes that compete each year.

Sure, there are many polar plunges around the nation during the Winter season, but none of them compare to the size of the Annapolis Polar Bear Plunge, which is sponsored by the Maryland State Police and boasts nearly 25,000 attendees each year—both brave plungers and not-so-brave spectators. If you do decide to take a chilly dip, the Rams Head Ice Lodge awaits after your brief journey into the icy depths of Chesapeake Bay. Festival attendees will enjoy live music, hot toddies, and a heated tent where they can warm-up and celebrate Maryland’s largest Winter festival!

Mammoth Pond Skim

April 15th in Mammoth, California

Although it takes place nearly a month after Winter “officially” ends, we couldn’t help but include Mammoth’s famous Annual Pond Skim on uCribs’ list of must-attend Winter events…because, you know, dude, Californians can totally, like, winter, too. Whether you decide to be a spectator or a sport, this annual event fills up quickly with massive crowds hoping to witness 50 crazy and not necessarily qualified competitors—both snowboarders and skiers alike— straight-line it across two ice cold ponds. Not only are competitors facing the challenge in harsh, snowy conditions, but they are also required to wear a costume to even obtain a coveted spot in the Pond Skim itself. It’s like the old gas station rule: no costume, no skim.

After the main event, you can party the day away at the Canyon Beach Bar and celebrate the beginning of Spring, and the end of Winter 2017-2018. Good riddance! No one really likes you, anyway. Well, I guess now we do with these fun events, but still, you kind of kill the vibe, man.

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