Ah, it's that time of year again: it's cold. It's grey and white and snowy all over. There may or may not be snowstorms or ice storms to speak of. It's a great time to get out and have fun if you ask us, and we've just discovered the perfect way to do exactly that. There's an annual winter festival in Indiana, in the town of Culver, to be exact, that is relatively new and objectively awesome. It's the annual Culver Winterfest, and it's back this year with a vengeance (in the best way possible). Photos don't do it justice - you have to bring the family out to this awesome celebration of the coldest time of year at least once, but we suspect that once you've been here, it'll become an annual tradition for you and yours. Check it out:
To say it's a wintertime celebration is an understatement, honestly.
The event describes itself in that way, yes, but it's more like a celebration of wintertime shenanigans, we think. Winter in Indiana never looked so good!
Seriously, where else will you get to watch Spider Man and plenty of other colorful characters take the plunge into icy lake water for the fun of it?
At Culver Winterfest, you can watch, or you can participate. No shoving allowed, though. That's not cool. And we think it’s more fun to participate. It’s what makes winter festivals grand!
Situated alongside beautiful (and usually frozen) Lake Maxinkuckee, Culver is a small town of about 1400 people.
But instead of being a sleepy small town where nothing much is going on at any given time, Culver often chooses to be the opposite. It's a vibrant and delightful place - especially in winter. And especially during their annual winter festival.
Winterfest is three days of chilly-weather fun, and there's much to do during this time.
You can, as we mentioned, participate in the Polar Plunge (costume optional, but definitely not un-encouraged), check out amazing ice sculptures masterfully created by the pros, delight in the famous chili cookoff, and so much more. I mean, if you’re looking for things to do in Indiana in the winter, this festival should be at the top of your list.
Of course, no winter festival of any sort would be complete without sledding, tubing, ice skating, and the other timeless seasonal classics - all of which are a huge part of the festivities at WinterFest.
There are even special events for the grown-ups only; head to the Lakehouse Grille on Friday night and live it up at the kickoff party. Winter in Indiana can be fun for the whole family!
And if there's little to no snow on the ground, not to worry: we'll just make our own.
Your winter forecast: cold, with a 100% chance of good times. This winter festival in Indiana will be fun, we promise.
This year's festivities take place from Friday, February 11 through Sunday, February 13.
That means an entire weekend to enjoy this unique winter festival in Indiana!
...and perhaps best of all? It's all free. Yup, that’s right. This three-day event is totally free to attend and enjoy.
For more information, as well as a schedule of events and all the details you'll need to plan your weekend, make sure to visit the official Culver Winterfest page on the Culver Chamber of Commerce website. So, what do you think? Any plans to check out this delightfully fun winter festival in Indiana? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
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