
Incredible Ice Sculptures Return To Eastern Iowa Riverfront
It's that time of year when the weather is cold enough to make ice carving possible. An annual event in Eastern Iowa is where you can find artists with a talent cooler than ice itself.
The annual Icestravaganza event in downtown Davenport in January is for a weekend of fun, food, and of course, ice.
Icestravaganza Returns To Downtown Davenport
The Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP) will host Icestravaganza January 17-19, 2025, at the Freight House and Beiderbecke Dr. in downtown Davenport. The free event features beautiful ice carvings on display all three days, and “Art in Ice” is this year’s theme.
Throughout the weekend attendees can enjoy live carving demonstrations as well as free hot cocoa (limited hours) at the warming station.
Whether attendees stroll by the ice sculptures at the Freight House or check them out from their vehicle in the drive-through display on Beiderbecke Drive, organizers recommend the best time to take photos of the sculptures is when they're glowing from dusk to 10 p.m. each night.
On Saturday night, the free After Glow party will feature live glow-in-the-dark ice carvings lit by black light with an expanded light show and live mix by DJ Buddha.
Extremely Cold Weather Shuts Down Icestravaganza 2024
If you're trying to remember how much fun Icestravaganza 2024 was but don't have any memory of it, don't worry, you're not going crazy or was that drunk at the event back in January of 2024.
If you remember, Icestravanganza 2024 was canceled ironically due to a ton of snow and an arctic blast. On January 9th, the Quad Cities saw over 10 inches of snow.
But even more was on the way on the first day of Icestravaganza 2024.
On Friday, Jan. 12th (the first day of the festival), more than 15 inches of snow fell across the Quad Cities with near-blizzard conditions. Following the massive snowstorm on January 12th was an arctic blast that froze the Quad Cities. Wind gusts were above 40 mph, lows reached down to -18°, wind chills down to -42°, and blowing snow was everywhere.
Let's hope we don't get another round of winter weather like that for this upcoming Icestravaganza.
Map & Schedule Of Events
Above you can see where everything is at for Icestravaganza 2025. Below is the schedule of events throughout the three-day festival at the Freight House Board Walk in downtown Davenport.
Friday, Jan. 17
- 5 p.m. Event opens
- 5 - 7:30 p.m. Freight House Farmers Market indoor hours
- 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. The Family Credit Union warming station - free hot chocolate
- 10 p.m. Event closes and lights for carvings shut off
Saturday, Jan. 18
- 10 a.m. Event opens
- 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Freight House Farmers Market indoor hours
- 3 - 5 p.m. The Family Credit Union warming station - free hot chocolate
- 6 - 8 p.m. After Glow Party – no ticket required, live carving demonstrations with black lights, light show, and DJ Buddha (warming tent and stage in the parking lot, south Freight House)
- 10 p.m. Event closes and lights for carvings shut off
Sunday, Jan. 19
- 10 a.m. Event opens
- 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Freight House Farmers Market indoor hours
- 4 - 5:30 p.m. The Family Credit Union warming station - free hot chocolate
- 10 p.m. Event closes and lights for carvings shut off
Festival goers are encouraged to snap a photo and post it on social media using the hashtags #IcestravaganzaQC and #QCThatsWhere.
Icestravaganza is produced by the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP), an affiliate of the Quad Cities Chamber. Visit DowntownDavenport.com for more information.
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Gallery Credit: Connor Kenney/Townsquare Media Quad Cities
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