Ice Castles

What Ice Castles does

Ice Castles is a privately held seasonal entertainment company founded in 2010 that designs, builds, and operates large-scale ice castles across North America. Each castle is constructed using hundreds of thousands of hand-placed icicles grown by professional ice artists, totaling roughly 20 million pounds of ice and 12,000 icicles per day per site. The attractions feature LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, and fountains, and are supplemented by a menu of premium add-ons including the Arctic Alcove private experience, the Frozen Tap ice bar, horse-drawn sleigh rides, snow tubing, scavenger hunts, light walks, and on-site food, beverage, and merchandise concessions.

The company operates five locations for its 2025-2026 season across Cripple Creek, Colorado; Silverthorne, Colorado; North Woodstock, New Hampshire; Falcon Heights, Minnesota; and Edmonton, Alberta, with corporate headquarters in Lehi, Utah. Pricing is structured around timed-entry general admission tickets sold directly through icecastles.com, with peak and off-peak tiers, demographic discounts (seniors 55+, military/first responders, local community residents, nonprofits), and group rates. Premium private bookings and beverage service expand revenue per visitor beyond base admission.

Ice Castles monetizes primarily through direct-to-consumer ticket sales, with secondary revenue from premium experiences, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage concessions, add-on activities, and merchandise. The customer base is consumer-facing, anchored by families with children as the primary segment, followed by couples, school/youth groups, special-occasion bookers, and local community residents. Marketing is concentrated in organic social, earned media (Oprah, Travel+Leisure, NBC, CBS, GMA, Today Show), influencer programs, email newsletters via hive.co, and SEO-driven direct website traffic. The business is weather-sensitive and inherently seasonal, with operational risk exemplified by the 2025 discontinuation of its Utah location due to warm weather.

Name

Ice Castles

Legal name

Ice Castles

Website

https://icecastles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ice Castles designs, builds, and operates seasonal, large-scale ice castle attractions across five North American locations, selling timed-entry tickets and premium add-on experiences (private alcoves, ice bars, sleigh rides) directly to families, tourists, and groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seasonal Winter Attractions and Family Entertainment

NAICS

Amusement and Theme Parks (71311)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAAAAK

Winter Adventure & Mountain Resorts (Ski, Snowboard, Snow Activities)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Amusement Parks & Theme Parks

SECONDARYTHAAAJAJ

Winter Activity & Experience Operators (Ice Climbing, Dog Sledding, Fat Biking, Ice Skating)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Winter Adventure & Mountain Resorts (Ski, Snowboard, Snow Activities)

SECONDARYTHAAAJAG

Snow Tubing, Sledding & Winter Fun Parks

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Winter Adventure & Mountain Resorts (Ski, Snowboard, Snow Activities)

Keywords

• Winter attractions
• Seasonal entertainment
• Ice sculpture experiences
• Family entertainment venues
• Outdoor ice castles

Headquarters

HQ city

Lehi

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: Primary revenue stream from selling timed-entry tickets to the Ice Castles experience. Tickets are priced with peak and off-peak variations based on demand and date.
2. Arctic Alcove Private Experience: Premium private party bookings in a secluded ice area with lounge chairs and fire pit. Priced at $450 for 6 tickets with 1-hour exclusive access.
3. Frozen Tap Ice Bar: Adult-oriented beverage service featuring alcoholic drinks including craft beers, cocktails, and warm drinks at participating locations including Edmonton, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and both Colorado locations.
4. Sleigh Rides: Horse-drawn sleigh ride experiences available as add-on tickets at participating locations.
5. Group Bookings: Discounted group tickets for 15+ visitors (15% off) and 76+ visitors with custom booking.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ice Castles designs, builds, and operates seasonal winter ice castle attractions across five North American locations, each constructed using hundreds of thousands of hand-placed icicles (approximately 12,000 grown daily) and approximately 20 million pounds of ice per castle. The attractions feature LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, and fountains, and are sold to consumers through timed-entry online ticketing with on-site standby availability. Premium add-on experiences include the $450 Arctic Alcove private experience, Frozen Tap ice bar, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and food, beverage, and merchandise concessions.

Product overview

Ice Castles operates as a single unified core product—a seasonal winter ice attraction—supplemented by multiple add-on modules and experiences. The main Ice Castles attraction features hand-crafted ice sculptures and structures across five North American locations (Silverthorne, Colorado; Cripple Creek, Colorado; Edmonton, Alberta; Minnesota State Fairgrounds; North Woodstock, New Hampshire). Premium add-on experiences include the Arctic Alcove private party package, Frozen Tap ice bar, horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice slides, snow tubing, and light walks. Food, beverages, souvenirs, and photos are available as on-site concessions. The company celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ice Castles Winter Attraction Core seasonal winter attraction featuring hundreds of thousands of hand-placed icicles, LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, and fountains. Each castle is built using approximately 20 million pounds of ice with 12,000 icicles grown daily, located across five North American sites (Silverthorne Colorado, Cripple Creek Colorado, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Edmonton Alberta).
• Arctic Alcove Private Experience Premium private party package providing 6 tickets, 1-hour private area access with lounge chairs and fire pit, 20% merchandise discount, and early access for special occasions. Priced at $450 for 1-hour reservation accommodating up to 8 guests.
• Frozen Tap Ice Bar Adult-friendly on-site bar offering hot cocoa with Baileys, spiced cider, margaritas, local brews, and craft cocktails. Available at Edmonton, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and both Colorado locations. Access is included with admission.
• Sleigh Rides Horse-drawn sleigh ride experience sold as an add-on ticket at participating locations.
• Castle Quest Scavenger Hunt Interactive scavenger hunt experience available at participating locations, included with admission.
• Food and Beverage Concessions Variety of treats and warm drinks available for purchase at each location, complementing the Frozen Tap ice bar.
• Souvenirs and Photos On-site gift shop merchandise and photo opportunities with 20% discount for Arctic Alcove guests.
• Seasonal Performers Seasonal costumed performers including Snow Queen and Winter Fairy appearing at select locations.
• Ice Slides Ice-carved slides included with admission at locations that feature them, subject to height requirements for safety.
• Snow Tubing Snow tubing hill activity available at select locations, included with admission.
• Mystical Lake Light Walk Light walk experience available at select locations; tickets may be required separately.
• Group Bookings Discounted group admission tickets for 15+ visitors (15% off automatically applied) and custom booking for groups of 76+ visitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured by major media outlets including Oprah.com, Travel+Leisure, NBC News, CBS News, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Parents Magazine, Woman's Day, and Thrillist

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VetTixcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIce Castles partnership with VetTix for the 2025-2026 season at all U.S. locations extends gratitude to military personnel by offering 25% off tickets purchased through VetTix. Further instructions for discount redemption are detailed on VetTix website.
• Seachange BreweryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEdmonton's leading craft brewery providing beverages for the Frozen Tap ice bar including The Wolf Hazy Pale Ale, Death Wave Lager, and Straight Edge (Non-Alc IPA)

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hôtel de Glace: Hôtel de Glace is the only true ice hotel in North America, located near Quebec City, Canada, rebuilt annually each winter with ice and snow architecture. It is a direct seasonal ice attraction peer operating in the same climate-constrained, ticket-based winter experience category as Ice Castles, with similar weather dependency and construction challenges, and serves as the most geographically relevant North American comparable.
• Ice on Whyte (Edmonton): Ice on Whyte is an Edmonton-based ice carving festival and exhibition featuring professional ice sculptures and interactive ice art, operating in the same city as Ice Castles' Canadian location. It is a direct seasonal ice attraction peer competing for the same Edmonton winter tourism audience, with similar timing (January-February) and family-oriented positioning.
• Gaylord Hotels ICE!: ICE! is a long-running indoor holiday ice sculpture experience featured at multiple Gaylord Hotels properties (Gaylord Texan, Gaylord National, Gaylord Opryland, Gaylord Rockies). It is a direct competitor to Ice Castles in the North American large-format ice attraction category, with comparable ticketed admission, walk-through ice sculpture environments, and holiday/seasonal positioning — though delivered as an indoor, climate-controlled experience rather than outdoor castles.
• Snowman World (Rovaniemi, Finland): Snowman World is a winter attraction inside Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland, featuring ice and snow architecture, ice slides, and an ice bar. It is directly comparable to Ice Castles as a seasonal ticketed winter ice experience with similar features (ice slides, ice bar, sculptures) targeting family and tourist visitors in cold-climate destinations.

Regional players

• Festival du Voyageur (Winnipeg, Canada): Festival du Voyageur is Western Canada's largest winter festival, held annually in Winnipeg, Manitoba, featuring snow sculptures, ice carvings, and culturally themed winter programming. It is a regional peer to Ice Castles' Minnesota and Canadian operations, targeting the same Upper Midwest/western Canada winter tourism market with a comparable seasonal entertainment concept, though delivered as a multi-day festival rather than a recurring ticketed attraction.
• Ouray Ice Park: Ouray Ice Park in Colorado is a free, public ice climbing venue created each winter using irrigated ice formations. While focused on ice climbing rather than walk-through attractions, it is a regionally relevant peer in the Colorado winter tourism market and an example of an alternative ice-based attraction format competing for the same regional visitor dollars.
• World Ice Art Championships (Ice Alaska, Fairbanks): Ice Alaska hosts the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska, featuring multi-block ice sculpture competitions and a public Ice Art Park with walk-through ice displays. It is a regional peer operating in a cold-climate U.S. market with comparable ticketed ice sculpture viewing experiences, targeting similar tourist and family demographics as Ice Castles.

Broad incumbents

• International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin): The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in China is one of the world's largest winter ice festivals, attracting millions of visitors annually to massive illuminated ice architecture. It is comparable as a large-scale seasonal ice attraction and demonstrates both the global appetite for ice-based tourism and the scale at which competing events can draw visitors — though it operates as a civic/municipal festival rather than a private commercial enterprise.
• ICEHOTEL (Sweden): ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden is the original and largest ice hotel globally, operating seasonally and as ICEHOTEL 365 year-round. It is comparable as a global benchmark for ice-architecture-based tourism attractions, demonstrating how a winter ice concept can scale internationally and evolve into a premium, multi-product destination — though it is significantly larger and more established than Ice Castles.

Emerging players

• Magical Ice Fest: Magical Ice Fest is one of several emerging winter ice sculpture festivals and exhibitions across the U.S. that feature illuminated walk-through ice displays. It represents the broader category of smaller, niche seasonal ice attractions that compete with Ice Castles for tourist attention in specific markets, often at lower price points and without the brand recognition Ice Castles has built.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IceCastles
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ice_castles
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheIceCastles
• Instagraminstagram.com/icecastles_
• TikToktiktok.com/@icecastles_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ice-castles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ice Castles