This U.S. Winter Festival Celebrates the Cold With Ice Bars, Saunas, and Snowy Adventures

• The Great Northern Festival is an annual celebration of all things winter in the Twin Cities area.
• Food is a major focus, with winter-themed menus highlighting seasonal ingredients, plus an outdoor ice bar.
• The festival also aims to raise awareness about climate change through a lecture series and activist events.

If visiting Minnesota in the dead of winter doesn’t sound appealing, then you probably don’t know about The Great Northern Festival, an event that embraces the north’s bitter cold and celebrates all things winter. Cross-country skiers make their way across frozen lakes, hockey players take to the ice, and people gather in the freezing cold to cool down following a steamy session in the pop-up sauna village.

The 10-day event takes place during some of the coldest days in Minnesota in various locations and venues in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, usually lasting from late January to early February. This winter it takes place Jan. 28– Feb. 1, 2026.

Beyond cold-weather outdoor activities like snowshoeing, skiing, and ice skating, the event is rich in culture—with live music, comedy, film, a climate solution series, and art exhibits. There are also dance parties, forest bathing experiences, workshops, and much more.

Those looking for good food and drink can enjoy the cold with some of the best cuisine in the state. Past events have included pop-ups and unique dining experiences like the “Seven Stories” dinner. At this outdoor communal meal, seven world-class chefs—like Sean Sherman, the award-winning Oglala Lakota Sioux chef behind the James Beard Foundation-recognized Owamni—presented dishes inspired by winter memories.

Throughout the festival, anyone looking for a drink (hot or cold and alcoholic or not) can find it at the 50-foot ice bar, which showcases the talents of local mixologists, breweries, and distilleries.

In keeping with the festival’s activism surrounding climate change, some culinary experiences have also highlighted what foods may be lost in the future. One example is “The Last Supper” from former White House chef Sam Kass, which centered around near-extinct ingredients.

The festival also puts on a Climate Solution Series, where renowned advocates host talks, lectures, workshops, and discussions about climate-related topics, from fast fashion to emerging careers in the climate space. Past luminaries include Time CO2 Earth Awards recipient Gloria Walton and queer eco-drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia.

All told, The Great Northern Festival has more than 50 dining, outdoor, and cultural events that celebrate the cold, bring awareness to climate change, and share the work of local, national, and international artists of all disciplines.