When you live in a city that has so much to offer, it’s hard to keep track of all the parties and events. But thanks to Facebook groups and pages, New Yorkers can be rest assured knowing that they will always be kept in the loop of the hottest social happenings. For the past few weeks, Facebook has been blowing up with posts about the Central Park Conservancy Ice Festival (Feb. 10). With close to four thousand RSVPs, it was sure to be a spectacular, must-see event. So, I made sure to clear my Saturday afternoon schedule to go for a stroll through Central Park West and see what the hype was all about.
I arrived at Central Park at 3 p.m., right when the event was set to begin. The snow that had fallen a few days before made the park even more beautiful than usual. With horse-drawn carriages strolling through glittering pathways and children having snowball fights or building snowmen, Central Park was the pure definition of a winter wonderland.
Once I arrived at the Ice Festival, there was a stage setup with a live, real-time carving of Central Park’s “Alice in Wonderland” statue. Music played in the background as the crowd watched two amazing artists, equipped with chainsaws, mallets, and picks, carved away at three blocks of ice. Powdered sugar and chocolate fragranced the frosty air as waffle and coffee food trucks catered for the crowd. And, if it wasn’t a sweet tooth you were treating, Greek food was also available to satisfy your savory needs.
Among other booths, there was a sculpting station where kids were able to make sculptures of their own. While these works of art weren’t of the ice-block kind, the colorful clay pieces are sure to last and serve as souvenirs from the Ice Festival.
At 5 p.m., just when the sun set and the children and their families returned home, volunteers offered guests headphones for some dancing in the dark! The festival transformed into a quiet club where DJs spun some awesome tracks dating back to the eighties to recent Top 40 hits. The music was on-point, and the dance moves were priceless.
Overall, the event went as I’d expected. If you were able to make it, I hope you enjoyed the festival as much as I did. And if you didn’t go, make sure to catch it next year because this event is one you don’t want to miss!