Hope melts for winter festivals as mild weather reigns in Minnesota
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Another popular winter attraction has been forced to postpone opening thanks to the unseasonable weather.
The director of operations for Delano's Ice Palaces, Britton Youngstrom, says they're hoping for a late January start date.
"The weather's a little delayed in Minnesota but the forecast is promising," Youngstrom said. "We're excited for the community support."
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In Maple Grove, the plan was to have an ice castle up and running by now, but instead, nothing's been built.
"They're really fun to just go in," said Isabella Eibon from Shakopee, who's missing the ice castles. "You can't do that now because it's barely cold enough."
The month-long Minnesota Ice Festival and Ice Maze in Eagan has already been canceled. The CEO of the event said in a statement, "The Super El Niño might have paused our festival this year, but … we're already crafting icy wonders for 2025."
There's still winter fun to look forward to in St. Paul. The Winter Carnival in Rice Park is a full go next month.
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"I'm so excited about this weather because I know that it's going to be cold enough for us to still do everything, but warm enough for there to be swarms of people who are excited to come down here and celebrate with us," said Lisa Jacobson, the president and CEO of the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation.
Jacobson says the hope is that the weather cooperates enough to be able to carve ice sculptures to add to the parades, food trucks and laser light show.