I think the Estes Park Winter Festival can best be summed up by this: real live ice castle. Let me repeat that: Real. Live. Ice castle!! I am not making this up.
Frankly, I think the price of admission is worth it for the ice castle alone.
The Estes Park Winter Festival was started in 2009, and the event just keeps getting bigger every year.
The Estes Park Winter Festival is held at the Stanley Park Fairgrounds in Estes Park, and offers a huge variety of activities, from the aforementioned ice castle (!) and beer and wine tasting to live music, a chili cook-off, an ice rink, a snow slide, a scavenger hunt, and more.
The Estes Park Winter Festival is held in conjunction with the Winter Trails Day at Rocky Mountain National Park, where you can try out snowshoes and get expert advice on winter travel and fun.
The Estes Park Winter Festival in a Nutshell:
- Usually on MLK weekend in January
- Ice castle
- Snow slide
- Ice skating
- Snow cones
- Live music
- Beer and wine tasting
- Chili cook-off
- Scavenger hunt
- Pony rides
- Petting zoo
- Horse and carriage rides
- Vendors
- Many weekend specials in Estes Park
- Cheap
- Family friendly
- DID WE MENTION THE ICE CASTLE?