This time every year hearty Minnesotans venture forth from their homes to experience a perennial favorite of the Twin Cities, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival!

The whole event got started in 1886 when Saint Paul made a bid to bring tourism to this great city by building an Ice Palace in Central Park. It used over 25,000 blocks of ice from the Mississippi River and Lake Como and was illuminated with electric lights using colored globes making it one of the first buildings in Saint Paul to have electric lighting.

Since 1886 Saint Paul has built 36 Ice Palaces of all different sizes and shapes as the center piece to what has now become the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. This year the Carnival covers 11 days from January 22nd to February 1st and encompasses over 50 different events, so there is something for everyone to check out. A full event listing can be found HERE.

Every year Carnival buttons are unveiled and then made available for purchase as a commemorative item for each Carnival. You can purchase them all over the Twin Cities and at specific locations within the Carnival. Look HERE for all the retail locations.

The 6th Annual Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival is sure to be a highlight this year. You won’t want to miss Minnesota’s biggest outdoor beer festival with craft beer from 120+ breweries, live music, gourmet food from local food trucks, and a flurry of winter activities. Held in partnership with St. Paul Winter Carnival, the festival is a true celebration of winter in Minnesota. This year the Beer Dabbler will be held on January 24th starting at 3pm, get your tickets HERE.

There will be three different parades this year, the Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade on January 22nd at 5:30pm, the King Boreas Grande Day Parade on January 24th at 2pm and the Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade on January 31st at 5:30pm. You can get more information about each parade and their routes HERE.

And finally one of our favorites every year is the Ice Carving Completion held throughout the Carnival in Rice Park. Watch artists from around the country carve their beautiful ice creations. More information HERE on the Competition.

These are just a few of the dozens of different events, music, beer, food, competitions and displays you can see and experience during the Winter Carnival.

So tell us Twin Cities, what will you be doing at the Winter Carnival?