Around here, most people know that the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is an amazing event. Where else can you find so many great activities in one place, not to mention a one-of-a-kind Ice Palace?! It’s about time that the Winter Carnival got the widespread recognition that it deserves. In fact, Condé Nast Traveler recently named the Winter Carnival in a feature called “Worldwide Winter Wonderlands: The 10 Most Spectacular Cold-weather Festivals”!
Condé Nast Traveler focused on the Ice Palace as the centerpiece of the Carnival writing, “For nearly 117 years, the main attraction of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival has been its ‘Ice Palace,’ first erected in 1898. Nowadays, the famed frozen residence is built by volunteers from hundreds (if not thousands) of 2-by-4-foot-long ice-blocks cut by hand from Lake Flower.”
This prestigious collection of cold-weather festivals includes events from around the world, not just in the US. Some of the festivals that accompanied the Winter Carnival on Condé Nast Traveler’s list include the Quebec Winter Carnival, the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Winter Festival, the Jokkmokk Winter Market in Sweden, and the Lux Helsinki in Finland.
If you’ve never been to the Winter Carnival before, make plans to head to Saranac Lake from February 6-15. You’ll enjoy classic winter sports, non-traditional activities (think ultimate frisbee, broomball, and snowflake volleyball), live entertainment, fireworks, and so much more. And if you have been to the Winter Carnival, you can now say that you’ve been to one of the best winter festivals in the world!
