Village at Leesburg Welcomes Its Annual Ice Festival on January 27

Ice Fest returns with award-winning ice carvers competing and creating one-of-a-kind sculptures, ice skating, ice curling, s’mores station, caricaturists, face painting, and more!

MCLEAN, VA — Village at Leesburg (located on Route 7 just east of Leesburg) welcomes back its popular ice festival, Ice Fest, on Saturday, January 27, from noon to 4 p.m. Award-winning ice carvers will be on the property on Saturday morning to begin working on their creations with official festivities kicking off at noon. The public will be allowed to watch the carvers work and then vote on their favorite carvings.

New this year, ION International Training Center, located in Leesburg, will sponsor an ice curling activity at Ice Fest where attendees may participate at no charge. The event will also feature free ice skating (skates provided) and great photo opportunities around the center. Other activities include a s’mores station, a balloon artist, a caricaturist, a face painter, and more. Strolling performers and a DJ will entertain the crowds.

The highlight of the event are the magnificent ice sculptures created by some of the country’s top award-winning ice carvers. Chris Wyer serves as creative director of the event. He is a certified ice carving educator who has been creating works of ice art for more than 25 years. He started his career in the hospitality industry and now works for Ice Lab, a company in the Washington, D.C., area that provides cocktail ice and sculptures. He designs three-dimensional ice art ranging from animals and icons to international landmarks. He also practices metalworking, jewelry-making, and woodworking in his home studio. Chris will be joined by Connor Shaw and Angelito Baban, both ice carvers with numerous awards.