Courtesy Paul Post
By Paul Post
Five weekends of frosty revelry are on tap as Lake George Winter Carnival has a full slate of activities planned for North Country residents and visitors alike.
The fun starts Saturday, Feb. 7 with outhouse races, a Jeep parade and fireworks and continues through March 7-8 with a Chillin’ and Choppin’ lumberjack competition.
“We do it to give back to the community and to promote tourism,” said Jessyca Darrah, co-chair with Nancy Nichols, of the all-volunteer Winter Carnival Committee. “The intent is for local businesses to make money. We need more of the community to step up and get involved. We’re always looking for volunteers. We want to grow the committee, we want more people actively involved.”
Now in it’s 64th year, Winter Carnival is the mainstay of ongoing efforts to promote more year-round tourism not only in Lake George, but throughout Warren County. Recent efforts such as Ice Castles at Charles R. Wood Park, and Winter’s Dream at Fort William Henry, have had short-lived runs due largely to mild winters the past few years.
But the return of an “old-fashioned winter” with sustained cold and numerous snowfalls has set the stage for a highly successful 2026 Winter Carnival.
“People should pay close attention to our Facebook page and website (lakegeorgewintercarnival.com) because we’re adding more activities as we go,” Darrah said. “The schedule will be updated throughout the month.”
Winter Carnival has a roughly $70,000 budget paid for with money from Warren County, area business sponsors and a fund-raising Gala scheduled for Friday, January 30 at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails followed by dinner and dancing.
Guests are encouraged to “dress to impress” for the red-carpet event.
As a lead-in to Winter Carnival, several hotels and restaurants are featuring fanciful ice bars and beautiful ice sculptures this month in Lake George and Bolton Landing. For a complete schedule go to: www.lakegeorge.com.
These attractions bring large weekend crowds to the area.
But Winter Carnival has a much bigger economic impact by generating overnight stays throughout February and into early March.
“A lot of people arrive Friday so they can get up and start doing things Saturday morning,” said Gina Mintzer, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce president. “Many of them stay right through Sunday. People are itching for winter fun. They don’t even feel cold even though they’ve been outside for hours on end just because they’re busy and it’s fun. There’s so much to celebrate.”
Because of construction for a new Shepard Park amphitheater, the Carnival will be headquartered this year by the Visitors Center on Beach Road.
A series of cook-off competitions, one of the Carnival’s most popular events, will be held each Saturday at the lower level of Village Mall, right below the Lagoon Restaurant. The list includes chili (Feb. 7), BBQ (Feb. 14), chowder (Feb. 21), chicken wings (Feb. 28) and mac-and-cheese (March 7).
Other activities including Polar Plunge, Dogs Got Talent agility contests, key and skillet tosses, a hot chocolate bar and bon fire, will be held at Shepard Park Beach with limited access.
In attempt to broaden Winter Carnival’s reach, organizers have invited area maple producers to take part in March 7-8 activities including a flapjack breakfast. This is designed to whet people’s appetite for Thurman Maple Days open house events, held each weekend from Saturday, March 14 to Sunday, March 29.
Previously, Winter Carnival was held four weekends in February. A fifth weekend was added last year and proved so successful that it’s being continued this year as well.
All Chillin’ and Choppin’ lumberjack activities will be held at Charles R. Wood Park.
In addition, some non-weekend dates are on the Winter Carnival schedule such as “Love is in the Air” Valentine’s (Thursday-Friday, Feb. 12-13) and Cabin Fever (Thursday-Friday, Feb. 26-27) promotions at Adirondack Winery.
By hosting the fund-raising Gala in Glens Falls and an extending an invitation to Thurman maple producers, Winter Carnival is becoming a more inclusive event that benefits the entire area.
“You don’t have to be in Lake George to be part of Winter Carnival,” Darrah said. “We want businesses throughout the county to be involved. The common denominator is to draw tourism here.”