Icefest 2023, Downtown Chambersburg

Icefest 2023, Downtown Chambersburg

Thursday January 26th, 2023 – Sunday January 29th, 2023
An ice filled 4-day festival with fun for the entire family!
Pull out your favorite scarf and mittens, bundle the kids up and be sure to grab your camera; you won’t want to miss the faces of those that sit upon the giant ice throne for the first time or stand beside their favorite sculpture.
You can also catch a glimpse of the carvers from DiMartino Ice sculpting right in front of your eyes!
Skilled in their art form, these carvers have trained for many years and can turn a plain block of ice into just about anything.
It’s amazing to watch.
A huge variety of events and activities are scheduled throughout the four-day festival giving you a chance to explore the best of Chambersburg and experience our vibrant Downtown culture for yourself.
Be sure to visit your favorite art galleries, restaurants and boutique stores while enjoying all that Icefest has to offer.
There is so much to see and do, so be sure to check out our schedule of events.
IceFest Set – January 31-February 3

IceFest Set – January 31-February 3

Bundle up and enjoy the 17th Annual IceFest in Downtown Chambersburg, one of the largest winter festivals in Pennsylvania. The 17th Annual IceFest is proudly presented by M&T Bank. This year’s festival will kick off at 5pm on Thursday, January 31 and run through Sunday, February 3 and will include 25+ tons of ice plus events that are sure to please almost everyone!

“IceFest comes at the perfect time–at the end of January when everyone is missing the fun of last month’s holidays and thinking about how long winter is,” stated Janet Pollard of the Franklin county Visitor’s Bureau. “But, with a giant ice slide, amazing ice sculptures, a variety of events, twinkling lights, lots of good food and great shopping—winter is fun!”

To kick-off the festivities, a ribbon cutting is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 31 next to the new 11/30 Visitors’ Center on the square. You can view all of the single block sculpture and enjoy live carving by the DiMartino Ice Company from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday night. All of the amazing ice sculptures are sponsored by local businesses.

In addition to the ice sculptures, live ice carvings and FREE double-wide ice slide, this year’s IceFest has a few surprises for you! We have re-invented our Chili Cook-off. It is now the Chili-Q and will include BBQ as well as chili. We’ve moved our Live Carve-Off to a “pre-event” on Wednesday night at the GearHouse Brewing Company. Other events held during IceFest include the Snowfall Ball, Icing on the Cake, the Polar Dunk Plunge, Frozen Flicks, the Kids’ Zone, Run Your Ice Off 5K, live glass blowing and much more. See the full schedule at www.icefestpa.com or go to our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/icefestpa.

Chambersburg’s IceFest has become a regional destination event that people look forward to annually. Visitors come from Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and the tri-state area. IceFest is an important community fundraiser for three local nonprofits: Chambersburg Council for the Arts, the Downtown Business Council and Downtown Chambersburg Inc. The Borough of Chambersburg assists these three organizations with coordination of the event along with many volunteers from the local community.

“IceFest gives us a chance to showcase our beautiful downtown and gives our downtown businesses an opportunity to increase their sales during a typically slow season” says Sam Thrush, president of Downtown Chambersburg Inc.
For more information, visit www.icefestpa.com.

Be sure to check out the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center and warm up, join a paranormal investigation, check out on-display art, participate in Acappella & Unplugged Open Mic, or take a chance on a raffle for a beautiful quilt. Details here.