Mount Holly Fire & Ice Festival

Each year people flock to Mount Holly in January for their renowned Fire & Ice Festival. It features ice sculptures, chili and more! Learn about our experience there. 

We have attended this festival on two different occasions. We had a blast! These are some of our favorite things at the festival:

Live Ice Sculpting

I am fascinated by how ice sculptors can fashion their creations out of a block of ice. We had been to other festivals where we had seen ice sculptures before. This was our first time attending one where we could see live ice sculpting. It was amazing!

We took one lap earlier on in the festival when they were just starting out from blocks of ice. Then later we walked past different ice sculptors periodically to see their progress. It was amazing to see shapes emerge such as a heart or a whale. We were even able to talk to one of the ice sculptors for a bit to ask about his process.

Starting out

Partway through

Closer to becoming complete

Sled Dogs

We got to meet a sled dog in real life! We did not get a chance to see the demonstration but they also have demonstrations throughout the day at this event.

Performers

There were multiple performers throughout the festival. They were doing magic, juggling and more. The kids loved that there was a lot of entertainment.

Animals

There were animals to pet from Barnyard Petz such as sheep and goats in 2023. Another year when we visited there were alpacas at the event.

Reenactors

We encountered Colonial reenactors. Some of them had muskets and others were cooking over a fire pit. My kids were surprised that this was a way in which people used to cook.

Rowan College Building Fun

When we visited this building we saw some cute animals from the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. The kids loved the owl and the hedgehog. They also got to see the results of the cupcake decorating contest. We also picked up a Home Depot DIY kit to make a penguin game.

Curling & Jenga

We liked finding there were some activities we could all try. Be careful with the giant Jenga! The pieces are pretty heavy. It was cool to be able to try curling. I was always curious how it worked.

Ice Sculptures

Aside from the live ice sculpting, there were also already completed ice sculptures at the festival. The kids had fun seeing what shapes each of them were. They also enjoyed taking pictures with some of them.

Mount Holly 2025 Fire & Ice Festival

Location: Downtown Mount Holly

Date: January 25, 2025

Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Event Details: There will be ice sculptures, fire truck rides, performers, decorations and more! The Son and Father Duo will be playing at the Union Firehouse at noon. Chili tastings will be available for a $5 donation. There will be lots of vendors. Woodford Cedar Run, House Paws Vets in Training and Barnyard Petz Petting Zoo will be there. There will be dog sled demonstrations.

Event Website and Map of the Event: Fire and Ice Festival Mount Holly

We had lots of fun visiting this festival in the past. Be sure to check it out yourself!