UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — After a two-year hiatus, the Loop Ice Carnival returns on Saturday for its 16th year. This family-friendly free event showcases local talents in the University City Delmar Loop neighborhood with over 40 ice sculptures on display.
With ice as the primary subject for this event, the weather plays a big role in its success. Jessica Bueler, of the Loop Special Business District, helps me understand how they prepare for various weather situations.
High temperatures, on average, for this time in January hover around 40 degrees, which Bueler says is ideal. “This makes it warm enough for families to come out and check out all the amazing ice art and free family-friendly activities, while also preserving the ice sculptures throughout the day.”
Setup begins before sunrise, the coldest part of the day. “We start setting up all of the ice sculptures at 6 a.m. as long as the weather is cold and clear (no rain). If there is any drizzle, we will wait to set up the sculptures a few hours later so that they hold their shape and last as long as possible.”
Throughout its 16-year span, the event has withstood extreme warmth, temperatures reaching the 60s, to extreme cold. But as she tells me, “This is a ‘snow or shine’ event. No matter the temperatures, we will roll with it."
She adds, "St. Louis has some of the most unpredictable weather in the country, so we will have an amazing event no matter how the weather treats us.”
In fact, the warmest year for the carnival occurred in 2013 when the mercury hit 65 degrees. The event went on as usual; the only difference was the ice sculptures melted faster. However, people still attended, maybe more so, thanks to the unseasonably warm weather.
As for the coldest, the year prior, in 2012, the high temperature only reached 15 degrees. Despite the cold, it was still a well-attended event.
The forecast for the 2017 Loop Ice Carnival kept them on their toes. “We had the ‘snowpocalypse’ scare, as a snowstorm and ice storm of epic proportions was forecasted. Luckily, the storm missed us and we were able to carry on with a temperature of 32 degrees.”
Bueler explains what’s new for 2023, including the closing of Delmar for the first time. “We want to create an environment where families can just walk down the middle of Delmar together while taking in all of the ice art, live ice carving demonstrations, temporary tattoo scavenger hunt, and $1,000 in ice cubes giveaway, free face painting, and so much more!”
She also says not to miss the fire performers who will do fire breathing, fire eating and flaming hula hoops from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Market, at 6655 Delmar.
The forecast looks great for 2023 with temperatures in the upper 30s to lower 40s during the day under a mix of sun and clouds. The festivities get underway at 11 a.m. and continue through 9 p.m.
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