The Electric City will once again become a winter wonderland with the return of the Scranton Ice Festival. After the success of last year’s inaugural event, organizers decided to hold the outdoor winter fest again in 2022. The festival kicks off on Friday, February 4 and continues through Sunday, February 6.

Visitors can stroll around downtown Scranton and view over 50 ice sculptures outside local shops, restaurants and businesses. Sculpted Ice Works of Lakeville will do live ice carving demonstrations, and there will be family activities all weekend long.

“The event is the same weekend as the opening weekend of the Winter Olympics, and so we’re hoping to have some fun sculptures that are a nod to that,” said event organizer Maggie Martinelli.

One of the main goals of the Scranton Ice Festival is to support small businesses. The event aims to bring more foot traffic to downtown Scranton during a typically slow month for retail. Visitors can admire the sculptures as they discover local businesses throughout the city.

Through donations and sponsorships, the festival also helps raise money for the Scranton Small Business Relief Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation. This charitable fund will provide financial support to small business owners and their employees who are struggling in the wake of the pandemic.

“We hope to have enough this year raised in order to open up that application process and really begin supporting those businesses in a more explicit way,” said Martinelli.

The festival is free to attend and provides a great way to beat the winter blues.

“This is a fun and safe event because it is outdoors, and it is spread out throughout the downtown,” explained Martinelli. “It’s just a nice opportunity for our community to get out of the house.”

Visitors can walk around town or hop on the free COLTS trolley, which will run on Friday and Saturday. Visit the Scranton Ice Festival’s website for a map of the sculptures and a full schedule of activities.