The Zwolle Ice Sculpture Festival

The International Ice Sculpture Festival is the largest in Europe and takes place in the province of Overijssel in the Netherlands, right in the ancient town of the Hanseatic League of Zwolle. This is the most important winter event in Holland, a spectacular exhibition created by some of the world's most experienced ice artists.



Each year, forty artists of different nationalities pick up chisels, circular saws and gas burners to create majestic and extraordinary works of art. This is a job that these artists have been preparing for over 6 months within the large exhibition hall of the IJsselhallen Zwolle, where 600,000 pounds of ice and 600,000 pounds of snow are used in this exhibition, which boasts a different theme each year. It is a creative process almost always focused on the latest and most important events of our time.



The exhibition has a capacity to hold over 100 sculptures up to six meters high, and takes place within a 1200 square meter pavilion with a stable temperature of 14°F. The Ice Sculpture Festival starts around mid-December and ends within the first week of March. The city of Zwolle is located about 63 miles northeast of Amsterdam and can be reached from the capital's central station in ninety minutes by train. Suitable winter clothes for such cold temperatures is strongly advised in order to face the cold. Guests are requested to wear warm jackets, gloves, scarves and woolen hats so you can enjoy the show in maximum comfort. For information on the program and on this year's theme click here.

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