Winter in Minnesota: St. Paul Winter Carnival Goes Big This Season

The holiday season may be behind us, but winter is in full swing, and St. Paul has a great way for families to celebrate. Each year, Minnesota’s capital city hosts a winter carnival that dates back to 1886, making it one of the oldest running winter events in the country.

The carnival will take over the city for 10 days of winter events, like ice-carving contests, a snow park and much more. Across the city there will be fireworks shows, parades, a snow park, ice skating, ice castles to explore, and plenty of food to keep the family fed and happy. There will also be art shows and an orchid show to celebrate the beauty of nature’s winter flowers.

Unique family-friendly events like a virtual reality Minecraft ice palace building contest are a great way to make sure the kids get their gaming fix in.

This year marks the 140^th anniversary of the event, which starts Jan. 22 and runs through Feb. 1. During the carnival, the city’s transit system will offer free passes for the Metro Transit to get attendees to and from festival events, and free city tours and treasure hunts will be a great way to get to know the city during your visit. You can check out the full schedule of Winter Carnival events here.