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Delano’s Ice Palace Minnesota moves up opening thanks to cold temps

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Published  January 15, 2024 5:01pm CST
Delano
FOX 9

Inside the ice palace at Fountain Hill Winery in Delano, Minn.

FOX 9 got a look inside the ice palace set up at the Fountain Hill Winery in Delano, Minnesota.

DELANO, Minn. (FOX 9) - A popular winter attraction that features 90,000-square-feet of ice sculptures plans to open this weekend, several days ahead of its scheduled delayed start this year – thanks in part to the recent cold weather.

Originally scheduled for a pushed-back opening of Jan. 25, its new opening date will be Jan. 21.

The handcrafted ice sculptures and fire shows drew several thousand attendees last season, but this year was almost in peril due to well above-average temperatures at the start of winter.

Ice Palace Minnesota in doubt due to warmth

In its second season, the Ice Palace Minnesota in Delano is in doubt due to above-average temperatures throughout December and the foreseeable future.

Located at Delano Central Park, Ice Palace Minnesota will aim to offer new events, food and beverage vendors in its second year.

According to operators, seasonal hours will be Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 5-9 p.m., and Saturdays 2-9 p.m. through the end of February, or as conditions allow. Tickets are on sale now.

A family-owned operation, the Ice Palace Minnesota is constructed and maintained by the Youngstrom family, whose ice-building techniques are said to be a, "natural winter extension of their Norwegian lineage."

"It is no small feat," Britton Youngstrom previously told FOX 9. "It is phenomenal to see what this water can produce."