The 134th annual St. Paul Winter Carnival is returning to a renovated Rice Park and adding drag queen bingo to its familiar parades and other frosty traditions.
The state’s quintessential cold-inspired carnival began Thursday and runs until Feb. 2. Festivities will expand into Landmark Plaza this year, which will be the scene of snow and ice displays and a range of family-friendly activities.
“We’re a very traditional festival. We’ve been around for 134 years, so we’re always going to have our same traditions,” said Deb Schaber, president and CEO of the Winter Carnival. “But we like to add some new flairs and just kind of keep ourselves relevant.”
Some rituals of the “Coolest Celebration on Earth” are sticking around: two parades, a coronation ceremony and ice carving.
Artisans began carving into giant blocks of ice Thursday evening with 48 hours to complete their masterpieces. As usual, their glacial sculptures will be on display for the more than a quarter-million visitors who show up throughout the festival.
The carnival will also be home to a handful of new attractions, including drag queen bingo at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
“We just wanted to try something new, and it’s kind of trendy right now,” Schaber said. She said she hoped the light-hearted event would help promote inclusivity and diversity.
The Hops and Hounds event invites carnivalgoers to have a beer and hang out with their pups in Rice Park on Sunday. Visitors can bring their dog and drink from a selection of Minnesota craft beers. Sgt. Fuzz, the St. Paul Police Department therapy dog, will also be on patrol.
![The 2018 Winter Carnival Ice Palace was officially lit Thursday evening in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul. The 70 foot tall palace is the first to grace St. Paul's celebration of winter since 2004. The palace is made up of 4,000 blocks of ice, weighing nearly 4 million pounds. ] BRIAN PETERSON • brian.peterson@startribune.com
St. Paul, MN 01/22/18](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/2RL5FPCUTKHY26EMTA2S24K2IQ.jpg?&w=1080)
