Variety

See St. Paul's 70-foot-tall ice palace being built block by block

By James Walsh

January 25, 2018 at 4:35PM

A gleaming palace of ice will once again lord over the St. Paul Winter Carnival.

Climbing to a height of 70 feet, the 2018 palace is the first to grace St. Paul's celebration of winter since 2004. Made up of more than 4,000 blocks of ice, and weighing nearly 4 million pounds, the palace cost about $800,000 to build at the south edge of Rice Park — ground zero for most Winter Carnival activities.

While not as grand as palaces built in 1986 (carnival centennial) or 1992 (the last time Minnesota hosted the Super Bowl), officials still expect plenty of "wow" factor. Multicolor LED lights will bathe the castle in light at night, providing a stunning backdrop to Rice Park activities

The ice palace opens Thursday night and is free and open to the public.

For two full weeks, crews were busy working on the 70-foot-high castle of ice on the south end of St. Paul's Rice Park.
For two full weeks, crews were busy working on the 70-foot-high castle of ice on the south end of St. Paul’s Rice Park. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

James Walsh

Reporter

James Walsh is a reporter covering St. Paul and its neighborhoods. He has had myriad assignments in more than 30 years at the Star Tribune, including federal courts and St. Paul schools.

See More

More from Variety

See More

Variety

Critics’ picks: The 12 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

card image

Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead.

Variety

Streetscapes

Food & Culture

6 new foods worth trying at a Timberwolves game

card image