Dartmouth Ice Festival bringing warmth to downtown

By Jordan Parker

The Downtown Dartmouth Ice Festival will show attendees sculpture crafting real-time during the weekend.

This year's iteration is set to fill the downtown with music, displays, delight and intrigue for all, with displays around Alderney Landing, along Portland Street, in King's Wharf, and at two locations on Ochterloney St.

“We just want to get people to come downtown, enjoy winter activities, and do some shopping or grab a bite to eat,” said Tim Rissesco, CEO of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission.

“The whole thing is centred around ice carving. We will have eight ice carvers and 40 sculptures on Saturday. We have an ice carving workshop Friday and a street party Saturday afternoon.”

With activities for all ages, it's a perfect family event for folks of all ages to get outside and enjoy.

“It's amazing to see ice carved right before your eyes, and we'll be closing Portland from Alderney Drive to Victoria Road Saturday afternoon for festivities,” he said.

“We'll take the festival into Saturday night, with music in a number of establishments. There will be 15 performers in 15 venues, from shops and bars to record stores.”

Businesses will all have specials on, with Lake City Cider, New Scotland Brewing, Morley's Coffee, District 5, The Tare Shop, Stagger's Pub, and many more participating.

“Doing things like this helps the businesses a lot. It's kind of like having a summer weekend in the middle of the winter. There are line-ups to get into cafes, bars and restaurants,” he said.

“People are exploring shops. It's great for customers, and it is important to businesses. It helps them get through a long winter.”

Performers Luminosity Circus will be on-hand Saturday, Jan. 28 at Alderney Landing, and there's a ton of local talent and musicians also on-board for the festival.

“We just wanted to showcase folks who all live within an hour of here,” he said. “We have Reeny Smith, Brooklyn Blackmore, DeeDee Austin and so many more.”

“We also have a youth showcase Saturday at 100 Ochterloney Street, and will have high school and university students performing at an all-ages, 300-seat venue. We are so proud to present that.”

There will also be numerous activities, including street curling on Portland with the Dartmouth Curling Club, and Rissesco worked hard to ensure everyone could get involved.

“It's a community festival. It's about having residents and supporters in, and supporting local groups and businesses. It brings in people who may not have been down here for a while,” he said.

“It also attracts new visitors. There aren't many winter events in the region, and it will bring interest. It helps to grow the business base and put a spotlight on downtown Dartmouth again.”

The festival has seen growth and expansion since it began, even if the timing of it wasn't perfect.

“We started in 2019, and we got one festival in before the big COVID shutdown in March 2020. We couldn't do one in 2021,” he said. “But we were back in 2022, and had a great festival. It was an event that really made us come back alive as a community.”

He says it's so important to show residents and visitors everything that your area has to offer, and that's exactly his role at the business commission.

“A lot of people are looking for ways to get back out, but there's still a good amount of people who want to be doing things safely,” he said.

“Things like the ice festival cater to all. I'm expecting streets to be packed. And if people want to see the carvings later, they'll stay as long as nature will let them. This is an event for everyone.

More information about the event can be found online.

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