For 135 years, the St. Paul Winter Carnival has been all about fully embracing the chill and celebrating, rather than complaining about, the frosty season.
But as it turns out, it’s kind of nice to experience two of the festival’s signature events from the warmth of your vehicle.
The St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Drive-Thru Ice and Snow Sculpture Park debuted Thursday at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and runs through Feb. 7. It features the ice carvings typically displayed in downtown St. Paul’s Rice Park and the snow sculptures that are usually at the Fairgrounds — both free to see during a non-pandemic Carnival. They’re spread out through the Fairgrounds for a safe family experience.
The experience comes at a cost of $20 plus fees for cars, with a $35 VIP option and a $35 ticket that incorporates aspects of the Vulcan Torchlight parade. Is it worth it? I think so.
I attended opening night in the 6 p.m. slot. From the start, the pandemic preparedness was impressive. You remain inside your car throughout the entire event, with the only exception to that rule being if you need to use the restroom, with facilities located at the start and end of the tour (but not during it).
It’s entirely possible to limit your contact with others to the few seconds it takes for an employee to scan your ticket and hand you a swag bag (more on that in a bit) at the opening gate.
A somewhat similar event, the GLOW Holiday Festival, took place in the same space during the holiday season and offered a series of dazzling light displays (and a dud of a Prince tribute). The focus of the Drive-Thru, of course, is the ice and snow sculptures along with the opportunity to see Vulcans, Klondike Kates and other Winter Carnival mainstays.
GLOW may have had more wattage, but the Drive-Thru is less than half the price of GLOW’s $46 entry fee. And in a nice touch, each car gets the aforementioned swag bag, whereas GLOW merely provided a snack-sized candy cane. The Winter Carnival bag includes some coupons, a pair of granola bars, a neck gaiter and a really fun light-up snowflake wand, which I could see was giving the folks in the cars around me bursts of joy.
You also get a pair of bingo cards that you can turn in at the end of the tour and get entered into a drawing for Winter Carnival goodies. (Bring a pen if you plan to participate.) There’s also a trivia component available through the Winter Carnival’s phone app.
It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to make your way through the Fairgrounds and, be warned, it took some time waiting in a line of cars to get to the good stuff. But once you do, it’s a delight to see the artistry of the works without worrying about frostbite.
You aren’t able to examine the sculptures up close and I found a few of the ice sculptures a bit difficult to discern from a distance. But there are still plenty of fun pieces that really pop thanks to supplemental lighting. Among other things, there’s a flying pig, a Viking, space dogs, a family of snow people and, my personal favorite, a Baby Yoda rendered in snow.
At the end of the tour, there’s the option to drive through a small outdoor food court of State Fair staples from mini doughnuts to Pronto Pups.
Hardcore Winter Carnival loyalists — and there are plenty of them out there, given that the festival typically attracts 250,000 visitors — will certainly find things to grumble about. But there’s clearly a market for this kind of thing. The GLOW Holiday Festival drew an estimated 188,000-plus guests during its run from Nov. 19 to Jan. 3.
A tip for those planning to attend. Before you go, take a quick trip through a car wash, because you’ll want clean windows to see all the action.
Tickets are $20 per vehicle. Learn more at wintercarnival.com.
Copyright 2021 Pioneer Press.
