The Big Chill Ice and Snow Festival Returns to Racine January 15-17, 2016

2015's Winning Sculpture: "Block Party."

**Update: The date of this event has been changed due to the warm temps this weekend. The new dates are January 15-17, 2016!

Oh, January--you can be quite boring! Fortunately, Racine is hosting The Big Chill Ice and Snow Festival and Wisconsin State and Midwest Regional Snow Sculpting Championships next weekend January 15-17, 2016! The Big Chill is hosted in Monument Square in downtown Racine and provides quite the opportunity to see master snow sculptors in action. Amazing teams of three artists will turn 30,000 lb 6' x 6' x 10' blocks of snow like this:

Into masterpieces like this:

Breathtaking snow transformations! Sculpting starts at 2PM on Friday, January 8th and continues until 11AM Sunday morning. Yes, sculptors will work through the night! Judging will occur at noon Sunday, January 10th and the winning team will represent Wisconsin at the 2017 U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition. To take part in voting for the fan favorite, be sure to arrive earlier on Sunday to cast your ballot! Kids especially will get a kick out of voting--during our visit last year, my daughter definitely took her time scrutinizing!

The sculptures all were amazing! The snow artists have a phenomenal talent--so be prepared to take a few spins through the frosty sculpture garden!

But wait, there's more............ 

AGA Nation will have a 2 1/2 story portable ramp at the event for both snowboarding and skiing competitions as well as free open riding! Free riding will start at 5PM on Friday with a professional demo at 6:30PM and more open riding 7PM-8PM. Saturday is competition day starting at 4PM. Free riding is available before the competition starting at 12PM! Rail Jam opens again at 11AM on Sunday with a Best Trick Competition at 12PM! Snowboarders and skiers are welcomed to compete, registration is $10. Free riding, competitions for prizes and high-flying fun!  For full Rail Jam schedule, check out the AGA Nation website.

While you are in Racine, be sure to visit some of the local shops. There is a collection of art galleries to visit especially our favorite Northern Lights Gallery. What I love so much about Northern Lights is that many of the artists are from the US and that the pieces are well labeled. Additionally, there is a bit of something for everyone! Also, be sure to take a peek at the architecture in Racine. I love walking through the old buildings! Racine also has an impressive collection of Victorian homes, so take a ride around and take a peek!

We visited The Big Chill last year and welcomed the inspiration to get outside and enjoy some fresh air! The sculptures are true marvels and will delight children big and small--and plenty of adults too! Plus, the Rail Jam packs an exciting addition! A fun family day!

**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.