Downtown Grand Rapids transforms into a winter wonderland starting January 7 for the fifth annual World of Winter Festival.
The festival of frozen fun features 50+ FREE outdoor events, a gallery of 50+ ice sculptures and 30+ public art installations created by local, national and international artists.
New this year are over 10 large international art installations, including but not limited to:
- A giant Light Maze by Ximenez Group based in Spain
- The interactive Crank Zappa Jellyfish by Amigo & Amigo based in Australia
- The musical Loop by Creos experience based in Canada
- The giant Bunnies of Intrude by Parer Studios based in Australia.
- The illuminated Submergence walkthrough experience by SquidSoup based in the United Kingdom.
Events include but are not limited to:
- A silent disco
- Numerous types of walking tours of the public art installations
- Ice piano performances
- Lunar New Year storytelling
- Black history commemoration
- Native American tribal stories
- A snow snake competition
Valent-ICE is a special attraction that kicks off Friday, February 11, 2022, with the deployment of more than 50 ice sculptures, making Downtown Grand Rapids the largest gallery of ice art in the state of Michigan.
Popular vote via an online survey determines the design of the largest 5,000-lb ice sculpture. The community can click here to vote.
The World of Winter Festival, organized by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and partners, is designed to take advantage of Michigan’s cold climate, provide fun ways for people to get outside and enjoy the unique winter season.
World of Winter runs through March 7, 2022. All events are FREE can be enjoyed by both families and adults.
For more information on the schedule of activities, visit worldofwintergr.com.
