Visit Haywood Ice Fest Weekend spotlights five mountain towns over four days, and is Western NC’s coolest event! Our guide shares all the details, including when, where, and what to do during the festivities.
If you’re looking for some winter fun in the mountains of North Carolina, look no further than Visit Haywood Ice Fest Weekend! This four-day celebration runs from the end of January through the first of February!
Event highlights include signature celebrations in Waynesville and Maggie Valley, and fun festivities scattered throughout the county.
Visit Haywood Ice Fest is also an excellent opportunity for us to support the local businesses and vendors involved. Many of them are event sponsors, and you’ll also see them staying open past their typical business hours, so make sure you stop by as many as possible!
This guide will break down everything you need to know about Visit Haywood Ice Fest, including when, what to do, and where to stay. We also share more things to do in the area, whether you’re in town for Ice Fest or not!
Read More: 100+ Unique Things to Do In North Carolina (Your NC Bucket List)
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Enter the Conversation!When is Haywood County Ice Fest Weekend?
2026 Event Dates: January 29-February 1, 2026
Official Event Website
Visit Haywood Ice Fest kicks off each year at the end of January and finishes at the beginning of February. It’s held throughout Haywood County, North Carolina, just west of Asheville and within a few hours’ drive of Charlotte and Atlanta.
This area is home to some of our favorite towns, including Maggie Valley, Waynesville, and Lake Junaluska, among other special spots. Canton and Clyde are two of them, and they also take part in Visit Haywood Ice Fest Weekend.
We’ve added this special occasion to our events calendar and highly recommend you add it to yours as well!
Find More Things to Do in Haywood County
Ice Fest Weekend Events
Visit Haywood Ice Fest includes the following events:
- ALL Weekend
- Ice Garden at Lake Junaluska: New to 2026 is the Ice Garden, tucked within the “secret” Susanna Wesley Garden at Lake Junaluska. Hundreds of light-up snowflakes, icicles, and ice lanterns will illuminate this peaceful space.
- Thursday, January 29, 2026
- Cool Jazz Concert at HART Theatre (7:00 pm): There are two Cool Jazz Concerts at HART Theatre in Waynesville, starting on Thursday at 7:00 pm. Acclaimed Saxophonist Walter Smith III joins pianist Ben Rosenblum on Thursday evening. The second performance will be held on Sunday, February 1, at 2:00 pm.
- Friday, January 30, 2026
- Canton’s Ice Rink (4:00 pm to 8:00 pm): Open from Friday to Sunday (see Saturday and Sunday hours), Canton’s Ice Rink is an excellent chance for you and your kids to show off your skills, but there’s no pressure for perfection, because there won’t be any judges in attendance!
- Ice Block Party in Downtown Waynesville (5:00 pm to 8:00 pm): Walk around downtown Waynesville on Friday night, which will be lined with ice sculptures. Local businesses will stay open, so don’t forget to stop by and show them your love, too!
Read More: Restaurants in Waynesville
- Saturday, January 31, 2026
- Frosty 5K (9:00 am): Free and family-friendly, the Frosty 5K is sponsored by Haywood Community College (HCC) and the Town of Clyde. There are two loops on the HCC campus, and snacks are available at the finish line. A medal will be presented to the top five times. Sign Up Here!
- Canton’s Ice Rink (12:00 pm to 5:00 pm)
- Ice Extravaganza in Maggie Valley (4:00 pm to 9:00 pm): Held at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, the Ice Extravaganza lives up to its name with live ice carving demos, an ice slide, food from local food trucks, souvenirs from local vendor tents, and much more!
- Advance Tickets are $7, Day-of tickets are $10, and kids under 12 get in FREE.
- Sunday, February 1, 2026
- Canton’s Ice Rink (12:00 pm to 5:00 pm)
- Cool Jazz Concert at HART Theatre (2:00 pm)
We hope you’re able to make it to Visit Haywood Ice Fest. If you do, we’d love to hear about your experiences (and even see your photos) in the NC Tripping Community Feed.
Where to Stay
Haywood County is home to some truly spectacular places to stay. There are a variety of rentals in the area, and we’ve enjoyed hosted stays at properties managed by Buffalo Creek Vacations.
Cataloochee Ranch is a one-of-a-kind mountain escape perched on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Maggie Valley. Initially founded in 1933, this historic ranch has been beautifully reimagined, blending rustic charm with refined luxury.
Honorable Mention: Cataloochee’s sister property, The Swag, is closed until Valentine’s Day weekend, when it reopens for the season. This 250-acre mountaintop retreat overlooks the Great Smoky Mountains and is surrounded by epic beauty.
Find More Places to Stay in Haywood County (via VRBO)
More Things to Do in Haywood County
Visit Haywood Ice Fest is a special event, but there’s even more to do in the area.
Local Businesses
Visit Haywood includes more businesses on their official event page, but we have thoroughly enjoyed these places:
- Canton
- Maggie Valley
- Waynesville
Read More: Waynesville Map of 30+ Attractions (+ 6 Surrounding Counties in Western NC!)
Outdoors
You might also be eyeing the kid-friendly Tube World (pictured above) and the slopes at Cataloochee Ski Area, and we say “go for it!” Cataloochee is one of North Carolina’s most popular ski resorts, and Tube World is among our favorite places for snow tubing.
Part of the Blue Ridge Parkway also passes through Haywood County, resulting in some truly stunning views and hikes. Graveyard Fields is one of our favorite hikes in North Carolina. Sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Haywood County may be inaccessible if winter weather has passed through.
Read More: Day Trips from Asheville
More Haywood County Travel Guides
We’ve featured many of the places mentioned above (and more) in our collection of NC Travel Guides. Here are a few to help you explore this fantastic piece of Western North Carolina.
