Bloomington’s fourth annual winter festival Freezefest begins at 11 a.m. Thursday and continues through Saturday at The Mill and Upland Brewing Company. Even after the holiday season has passed, Freezefest, Bloomington’s only winter festival, provides an event for all ages to come together and enjoy some fun such as ice skating, food trucks, and activities for younger children. The festival is centered around ice sculptures, highlighting the work of talented sculptors through friendly competitions and displays.
On the first day of the festival, The Mill will host the 2024 Chilly Cook-Off, where local chefs prepare samples of their best chili and attendees can try up to 24 samples and vote for their favorite. For this event, tickets are available online. The food options extend to local cuisine with food trucks from Bloomington favorites such as Planted, Far Out Boba, Pili’s Party Taco, and Little Bowl Thai Food.
RelatedJacobs School of Music events to look for in the spring semester There are numerous opera, ballet, and music productions to watch out for.
On Friday, there will be an ice skating rink from 3 to 7 p.m. on Madison Street. The night will end with the B-Town Ice Battle on the Upland Brewing Co. outdoor stage, where ice carvers race to create a sculpture out of a block of ice for the grand prize of a Golden Chain Saw.
To end the weekend, Saturday’s activities will continue with the ice skating rink and will feature more events for children such as ice games, a coloring contest art gallery, cookie decorating, and the Winter Palooza at Switchyard Park, which will be an afternoon of winter-themed crafts and activities.
For the full schedule of events, visit the website here.
