Bloomington’s Freezefest braves bitter cold with ice art, chili, and Hoosier pride

With temperatures hovering around 8F° and wind chills dipping to –2F°, this year’s Freezefest lived up to its name. Despite the extreme cold, crowds bundled up and gathered in Switchyard Park to watch ice carvers work outdoors, some ending up with icicles in their mustaches as they shaped massive blocks of ice.

The ice-carvings featured playful designs, including a cowboy riding a dinosaur, Winnie the Pooh, Olaf from Frozen, and functional sculptures such as an ice checkerboard and ping-pong table. 

Indiana University’s national champion football team was a recurring theme, highlighted by a sculpture of Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants, dressed as Fernando Mendoza, Indiana’s star quarterback.

During the competition, the head of the dinosaur sculpture briefly broke off, a moment that drew laughter from the crowd and was treated by the sculptors as a happy accident. The piece was quickly reattached using water—which freezes almost instantly in subzero conditions—serving as a reminder that, in ice carving, water is glue.

Inside the Switchyard Park pavilion, the chili cook-off offered welcome warmth. The spicy entries reflected Bloomington’s international flair, including Korean chili, while beer, wine, and hot beverages were available throughout the festival. Kids enjoyed Chocolate Moose ice cream despite the cold. 

Even in an especially frigid year, Freezefest drew Bloomington together to celebrate art and food.

Photos!

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