St. Paul Winter Carnival

i loved the winter carnival, loved but won’t go to any events anymore. no more activities in st paul due to the cheap, money grab, pay parking. you know the story but for us being lifetime st paul people I’ve seen too much of the powers that be stomping on any growth or life that has been working up. sorry but the «we no long offer free farmers market parking» on top of it all was just the last straw. too many other options, so take your 1 million dollars st paul from parking but lose the tax revenue. when, when will they ever manage the city in a way that people want to visit ???

There’s no better place to be in the Twin Cities in January than outdoors in St Paul.
The St Paul Winter Carnival offers two weeks of pageantry, royalty, parties, and wholesome family fun. The event includes two parades: one during the day, one at night. There is fireworks, ice sculptures, an ice castle, concerts and plenty of other reasons to enjoy everything that Minnesota winter has to offer.
The lore of the carnival involves the King of Winds, his brothers, the God of Fire, King Winter, Queen of Snow, Queen of the Northlands, a sassy lass named Klondike Kate and other magical creatures. As a newcomer to St Paul, it didn’t make much sense to me, but it was fun to see all of the carnival teams and players in action during the parades. One of the things I love about the carnival spirit in St Paul is that there is no shortage of royalty or generosity. We attended the concert at Rice Park and identified no less than 50 young girls wearing crowns and/​or sashes.
It’s particularly fun gathering at Rice Park after the parade, admiring ice sculptures and exploring the castle, which include an icy throne and a huge fire pit. After dark, the ice castle is lit up giving the entire park an extra spark of magic. Trees are lit in the park and a ice rink offers free downtown skating.
Bundle up, gather around the fire, and have fun. You can also have Kettle Corn. Corn dogs. Cheese Curds and other carnival snacks.
A separate event that coincides with the St Paul Winter Carnival is the Red Bull Crashed Ice event in downtown St Paul where speed skaters race down an obstacle ramp attached to the side of St Paul’s Cathedral. Thousands of people overlook the event and participate in a block party sponsored by Red Bull on 7^th street at the bottom of Cathedral Hill.

The 2012 Winter Carnival group of «characters» are just that. They are some of the most POMPUS people I’ve met. They think they are celebrities… what a joke. We were unfortunate enough to sit near a group at a local event recently and they were some of the rudest people. I was actually embarrassed for these idots. You’re not famous folks, get a clue!

Coolest place on earth!
Coming from CA, I donned my winter gear and got out here with the locals and some family and got digging for treasure in the treasure hunt and spent many a frozen night outside at parades and parties.
Vulcan victory dance is one of the highlights not to be missed!
what an amazing experience. Do it!

This ain’t Florida
And it sure as hell ain’t San Fran
So quit your whining
(It’s not every day you get to see professional quality ice and snow sculptures. Yes, it’s in Minnesota in the middle of winter. No, it’s not not going to be warm outside. No, the people of Minnesota are not so prissy that they are going to let a little cold weather stop them from having some fun. Grab your winter coat, grab your gloves, and leave the pretension at the door… and enjoy the show!)