Ice Magic Festival
By Amanda May
Staff Writer
BanffNationalPark.com
Beautiful Lake Louise gets just a little more beautiful each January with the annual Ice Magic Festival.
Each year, teams of professional ice carvers set out to carve the best sculpture they can at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
Come and see their creations and take photographs with the stunning background of glacier-clad Mt. Victoria behind.
The contest is sanctioned by the National Ice Carving Association (NICA) and is conducted with utmost seriousness. Twelve international teams (of two carvers each) receive fifteen three hundred-pound blocks of ice. With these blocks, they must create seven feet tall sculptures in just three days.
In addition to the team event, the Ice Magic Festival hosts the One Carver One Hour One Block event, which is a speed chainsaw event for individual carvers.
The Little Chippers Festival takes place at the same weekend as the Ice Magic Festival. This children’s festival takes place in the Samson Mall in the Lake Louise Village. Take your kids to learn the art and science of ice carving and have fun at the other events happening in the mall!
Check the Banff Lake Louise Tourism Board website for information about this year’s festival!
