Twin Cities Winter Family Festival Calendar

We present the Twin Cities Winter Family Festival Calendar – because festivals aren’t just for summer here in Minnesota. 2019 dates are starting to trickle in, but check back in late December for more.

JANUARY FAMILY WINTER FESTIVALS & FUN DAYS

Dates weather dependent: Ice Castles | Moving to Excelsior in 2019 | $7.95-$15.95/pp | Once inside, explore the ice palaces for as long as you’d like! Read our review of Ice Castles here.

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1/12/19: Winter Trails Day | Fort Snelling State Park | 11-4pm | Family highlights: Explore winter activities such as ice-fishing, cross-country skiing, skijoring, quinzee building, and more. FREE admission with $7 park vehicle permit.

1/13/19: 28th Annual Winter Ice Festival | Centennial Lakes Park, Edina | Family highlights: Horse-drawn wagon rides, face painting, ice sculpting demos and skating for families – rent skates or bring your own. FREE.

1/18/19-1/20/19: Arctic Fever | Excelsior, Shorewood & Tonka Bay | Family highlights: Free pizza and fire dance demos (Fri), sledding, sleighrides, skating and other classic winter fun.

1/18/19: The Big Chill | Firemen’s Park, Chaska | 6-7:30pm | Family highlights: Skating on the Clayhole (BYO skates), glow in the dark bowling, a candy scavenger hunt, free cocoa and smores. FREE.

1/19/19: Winter Open House | White Bear Center for the Arts, White Bear Lake | 1-3pm | Family highlights: Ice sculpting and art-making activities. FREE.

1/21/19: Winter Play Day | Silverwood Park, St Anthony | 11am-4:30pm | Family highlights: Spend the day off from school building snow creatures, then warm up with cocoa and a concert. FREE.

1/24/19-2/3/19: St Paul Winter Carnival | St Paul | Family highlights: See our Top 7 Free Family Activities from snow sculptures to the Moonglow Parade.

1/26/19: Lake Harriet Winter Kite Festival | Lake Harriet Park, Minneapolis | 12-4pm | Family highlights: Kites fly over the frozen lake. Families can ice fish, snowshoe and take a wagon ride. FREE.

1/26/19: 12th Annual Art Sled Rally | Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis | 2pm | Family highlights: Bring a sled of your own creation and race it or have fun as a spectator! FREE.

1/26/19: Winter Fun Day | Oak Hill Park, St Louis Park | 12-4pm | Family highlights: Bonfires, sledding, snowshoeing, music, hayrides, and cocoa & smores.

1/31/18-2/3/19: City of Lakes Loppet Ski Festival | Lake Calhoun, Minneapolis | Family highlights: Be a spectator (for free) at the races. Kids up to 12 can participate in the free MN Youth Ski League Super Carnival on 2/2/18 – loaner ski equipment provided, but limited.

TBA FOR 2019

15th Annual Winter Fete | Bloomington 

Coon Rapids Snowflake Days | Coon Rapids

Winter Blast | Staring Lake Park, Eden Prairie

Seeking Funding for 2019: Art Shanty Projects | Lake Harriet, Minneapolis | Sat-Sun, 10am-4pm | Family highlights: Not only are these 19 unique ice houses designed by local artists, they are strongly encouraged to be interactive.

FEBRUARY FAMILY WINTER FESTIVALS & FUN DAYS

2/2/19: Frosty Fun Festival | Dodge Nature Center, West St Paul | 10am-2pm | $4/pp or $16/family | Family highlights: Classic winter activities, boot hockey, ice mini golf, winter art activities and nature discovery stations.

2/2/19: Fire & Ice Festival | Plymouth | 2-7pm | Family highlights: A petting zoo, pony and sled-dog rides, mini golf on the ice, snow bowling, a bonfire with s’mores, live music and fireworks. FREE.

2/9/19: Wonders of Winter | Central Park, Maple Grove | 11am-3pm | Family highlights: Skating on the Central Park Ice Loop, fireside storytelling and smores, wagon rides, snowshoeing and lots more.

2019 Details Coming Soon: Anoka Winterfest | Greenhaven Golf Course & Event Center | 10am-1pm | Family highlights: Mini golf, art activities, movies, yard games, smores and more. FREE

2/9/19: Ham Lake Snow Bowl | Ham Lake Park | 10am-3pm | $3/pp | Family highlights: Snow sculptures, ice fishing, a snow hill and games for kids.

2/10/19: Minnetonka Kids Fest | Minnetonka Community Center | 12-3:30pm | Family highlights: Crazy amount of fun stuff – dogsled rides, crafts, a bonfire with smores, horse-drawn trolley rides, magic shows and much more. All FREE.

2/16/19: Embrace the North Festival | Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, Brooklyn Park | 12-4pm | Try out activities like snowshoeing and dog sledding, and play winter games. Warm up around the campfire. FREE.

2/16/19: Phalen Freeze Fest | St Paul | 2-6pm | Family highlights: Try your hand at ice fishing, then warm up and cook over an open fire, play boot hockey and snowshoe. FREE.

2/16/19: Wildlife Science Center Winter Festival | Stacy | 11am-4pm | $8-$10/pp | Meet mushers and learn about this winter sport; dogsled rides are available for an additional fee.

2018 Dates to Watch for in 2019

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