Photo: aleathaingleton / Facebook
While they may look like something out of a fairytale, Ice Castles offers a whimsical frozen adventure for people of all ages.
Located in six different cities across North America, the stunning attraction features an acre-sized village of illuminated ice sculptures. Now in its fifth season, Edmonton Ice Castles in Hawrelak Park is the closest offering to B.C.
Often described as a "real-life Narnia," the towering ice creations are built using hundreds of thousands of icicles hand-placed by professional ice artists. As such, the only two ingredients, even for the most fantastical displays, are ice and water.
This herculean task doesn't happen overnight, however. According to Explore Alberta, the Ice Castles are made by hand and takes thousands of man-hours to create. The process consists of, "growing 5,000 to 12,000 icicles that are harvested by hand and individually sculpted into existing ice formations. Newly placed icicles are then drenched with water."
Once the sculptures are completed, variations in temperature, water volume, placement, and outdoor conditions result in ever-changing displays. What's more, the sculptures are illuminated with LED lights after dark, which allows icy details to glow with vibrant majesty.
Guests will also find a throne room, which is home to an enormous ice-throne as well as other stately appointments. There are also thrilling ice-slides, expertly carved sculptures, mysterious tunnels, and enchanting frozen waterfalls.
The event starts in Edmonton January 2020, and pre-sale tickets are available until Dec. 2.
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Pre-sale tickets for Ice Castles Edmonton 2020 are $14.39 CAD and may be purchased here.
