seeing the snow sculpture competition of winterfest 2024 in lake geneva, wI
A picture is not only its subject, but you’ve also got work with the environment. At times it can be a challenge but if you’re lucky, a gift. Last February I arrived in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin just before 8am. It was cold, foggy, a little dark, and nearly empty. why would I take this 90-minute trip from Chicago in the dead of winter?
winterfest in lake geneva, Wisconsin
To walk among the mythical snow sculptures of Winterfest. Lake Geneva has an annual celebration of winter with a snow sculpture competition being the main event. These pictures are from 2024, but the 2025 festival is coming up and information on that is on the bottom of my post.
I arrived at Flat Iron Park, and immediately spotted a few locals. They were making the rounds with their dog, coffee in hand. A few spectators already sprinkled around. Mounds of different designs with a team of people by each, continued their work. There were only a few hours left before time was called.
the snow sculptures
Each team had their illustrated design, title, state, and artist statement. They even displayed a clay mold of their design. The theme seemed to be mythical figures or monsters, but sci-fi elements, animals, and geometric shapes were also displayed. I wasn’t in love with every design but seeing the team add the finishing touch against the foggy backdrop was more of the draw. By this point, they had been working on it for about 3 days, so nearly done. All the teammates were focused, working.
soul stealer by team Illinois
At times I was more captivated by the small details than the overall design of this snow sculpture. Take this for instance, a dramatic figure but my eye is drawn to the person being dragged back in. The team is from Illinois and the design is named Soul Stealer.
A good long look by team north dakota
I really enjoyed seeing this one in person given its size. The team working on it looked tiny in comparison. It was very peaceful, a sleeping giant in the forest with a foggy sunrise approaching. I was clearly influenced by the overall environment. However, after looking at the artist statement, it might’ve had a darker concept than I imagined. The team was from North Dakota, and the sculpture named, Some Things in Life Deserve a Good Long Look.
mischief maker by team minnesota
This next one is probably my favorite shot, although not my favorite design. The foggy atmosphere really worked with this one, and it was all around a gloomy image. Even the placement of the trees added something to it; sculptors clearly took all angles into consideration. Having it sideways like this allowed for everyone to get a better look at all ends. The back was very detailed.
This team was from Minnesota and the snow sculpture was called Mischief Maker. The funny thing about this one, after doing another lap a few hours later, I thought the backside was a completely different sculpture. It could’ve stood on its own. Looking at it now, I wish I got the height of the tree in the frame. Kneeling a bit, aiming up would’ve been worth it.
The hazy vibe was all around. The fog was dense near the lake, but the sun still peeked through. Of course, we were drawn to the frozen lake. Not all of it was ice, you can see where it transitions as it neared the shore. If I hadn’t stopped by at this time, I would’ve missed all of this. You’ll see in later images; it looked like a clear and sunny day. But don’t let that fool you. There were tents around for concessions (warm, soft Apple donuts amongst other things) and a break from the cold.
trust me by team Wisconsin
Now this design was my favorite, due to the sci-fi element. An android with a feminine, human face but machinery is exposed at the sides of her head. She’s decorated with delicate lilies, but her smirk says otherwise. The title, Trust Me.
Human face, machine mind. This team was on their home turf. They even had more images accompanying the concept, including comparing the clay vs 3-D printed model. And to drive the disturbing concept home, they mentioned their final design took 200+ hours for the team to develop. They then asked artificial intelligence to create a few designs with a simple prompt. See the results down below, very believable to have been created by an actual person. There’s a dark elegance, or perhaps preciseness, to them.
do yourself a favor: come in the morning
I highly recommend coming in early morning when there’s no one around. I was with my family, and we were able to do a good first round visiting most sculptures. We didn’t have a plan, just casually walked and at a certain point we got distracted with the ice sculptures on main street. As you’ll see, it got crowded and more difficult to tour the sculptures. At its busiest points, the crowds shifted into lines, slowly moving by everything. It made pictures, and even getting a good look, difficult. So highly recommend coming in early and doing a lap (or two!).
artemis by team maine
This next sculpture comes from a team in Maine, titled Artemis – Her Silver Will. It depicts the goddess of the moon with bow aiming at the sky. In this morning haze, the sun slipped through and graced Artemis with a little sunlight. Funnily enough, she looks like she’s aiming for the sun. The light softly touched her face and the drapery of her dress. I found this image hopeful.
By late morning, the crowd built up. Families with strollers unfortunately took a back seat and navigated around the crowds just to pass through. I looked around trying to make sure I could still get shots. People were sticking to the sidewalk, but you could go through the park to get a look behind the snow sculptures. All sculptures had more details on the back. Had people moved into the park, it would’ve better dispersed the crowds.
the hand of time by team illinois
Another favorite shot came from my home state of Illinois. This was the only picture where the crowd worked in its favor. The sculpture shows a hand extending in an open palm, framed by an Egyptian megalith (a monolith would be a single stone standing as a monument, a megalith is more than one large stone forming the monument). Familiar Egyptian hieroglyphs are on the back. From the side, the hand looks like it was offering something to the crowd itself.
After making the rounds, I ended up leaving just before noon. Yes, that’s early and yes, I wished I stayed. But I checked out ice sculptures and walked on the frozen lake in addition to the main event. As fun as it was seeing it in the morning, I still haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them lit up after dark. So you can always choose to come midday and stay later. You’ll get another version of the same sculptures with just a simple change in environment.
I have too many pictures to share of the snow sculptures so there will be a part two as well as a separate post about the ice sculptures on main street. of course, I plan on attending 2025 Winterfest.
visit winterfest in lake geneva, Wisconsin
The 30th annual Winterfest will be celebrated January 29 through February 2, 2025. Given its milestone year, this year’s competition is champions only. There will 15 teams and you can check out the designs via the Lake Geneva Winterfest site for all the information. The sculptures are on public grounds, so completely free. Keep in mind, these sculptures are only around until Sunday or melted. So, making the trip Saturday might be best. If you stay for dark, there will be bonfires on the beach. This additional article has more behind-the-scenes of Winterfest information on the competition for those interested.