Wyoming in winter is the ideal place to celebrate the season of snow. We have plenty of it and what better reason for a party? Many communities around the state host winter events during the holidays and beyond. When you’re looking for some fun, here are 6 rip-roaring festivals and carnivals in Wyoming that are sure to chase the blues away.
- Winter Carnival, Pinedale
Pinedale Wyoming Long ago, the picturesque town of Pinedale realized that you can’t beat winter in Wyoming, so you might as well enjoy it, and the Winter Carnival was born. The events of the weekend include a pancake breakfast, co-ed hockey tournament, snow sculpture contest, skijoring, snowmobile drag races, and the legendary Cardboard Classic - a downhill sledding tournament for which entrants make their own custom sleds out of cardboard boxes. Upcoming Winter Carnival: February 17 - 19, 2018
- Sierra Madre Winter Carnival, Town of Encampment
Town of Encampment/Facebook The Town of Encampment has been celebrating winter with an epic carnival for over 30 years. Carnival-goers enjoy a chili feed, enter the snow machine races down Sixth Street, participate in sledding, human saucer bowling, and snow painting. Plus, die-hard golfers look forward to the carnival’s snow golf tournament every year. Upcoming Winter Carnival: January 27 - 28, 2018
- Holiday Roundup, Jackson Hole Resort, Teton Village
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Teton Village is one of the most fun places in Wyoming to visit any time of year, but they really make it worth the trip Christmas week. Saint Nick starts things off by dropping in - literally, from the aerial tram - Christmas Eve, and you can spend the next few days celebrating the season skiing and ice skating with Santa. There’s holiday cookie decorating, live music, a meet-and-greet with area avalanche dogs, stargazing inside Walk Festival Hall, and a parade and fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Upcoming Holiday Roundup: December 23 - 31, 2017
- WinterFest, Rawlins
DowntownRawlins/YouTube Rawlins likes to celebrate winter early on in the season, and schedules their WinterFest the second Saturday of December. There are tons of activities packed into the day-long festival including breakfast with Santa, raffles, open houses downtown, ice sculpting, a holiday concert, multiple performances of the Nutcracker Ballet, and the Starlight Christmas Parade. Upcoming WinterFest: December 8, 2018
- Sundance Winter Festival, Sundance
Sundance Winter Festival/Facebook Almost all of the events in this winter festival include snow, so the town of Sundance holds theirs in February to make sure there’s a good supply. There’s skijoring, a snowmobile hill climb, ice skating, downhill barstool races, and more. If you missed our full article, you can read more about this rip-roaring winter festival here. Upcoming Winter Festival: Weekend of February 17, 2018
- Wild West Winter Carnival, Riverton
Wild West Winter Carnival/Facebook The winter carnival in Riverton is so epic it goes on for an entire month with events from mid-January through mid-February. Some of those include an antique and vintage snowmobile expo, car show, night parade, treasure hunt, poker run, ice sculpting, remote control car races, and much more. Upcoming Winter Carnival: January 14 - February 19, 2018
Have you attended any of these smashing winter celebrations?
Pinedale Wyoming
Long ago, the picturesque town of Pinedale realized that you can’t beat winter in Wyoming, so you might as well enjoy it, and the Winter Carnival was born. The events of the weekend include a pancake breakfast, co-ed hockey tournament, snow sculpture contest, skijoring, snowmobile drag races, and the legendary Cardboard Classic - a downhill sledding tournament for which entrants make their own custom sleds out of cardboard boxes. Upcoming Winter Carnival: February 17 - 19, 2018
Town of Encampment/Facebook
The Town of Encampment has been celebrating winter with an epic carnival for over 30 years. Carnival-goers enjoy a chili feed, enter the snow machine races down Sixth Street, participate in sledding, human saucer bowling, and snow painting. Plus, die-hard golfers look forward to the carnival’s snow golf tournament every year. Upcoming Winter Carnival: January 27 - 28, 2018
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Teton Village is one of the most fun places in Wyoming to visit any time of year, but they really make it worth the trip Christmas week. Saint Nick starts things off by dropping in - literally, from the aerial tram - Christmas Eve, and you can spend the next few days celebrating the season skiing and ice skating with Santa. There’s holiday cookie decorating, live music, a meet-and-greet with area avalanche dogs, stargazing inside Walk Festival Hall, and a parade and fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Upcoming Holiday Roundup: December 23 - 31, 2017
DowntownRawlins/YouTube
Rawlins likes to celebrate winter early on in the season, and schedules their WinterFest the second Saturday of December. There are tons of activities packed into the day-long festival including breakfast with Santa, raffles, open houses downtown, ice sculpting, a holiday concert, multiple performances of the Nutcracker Ballet, and the Starlight Christmas Parade. Upcoming WinterFest: December 8, 2018
Sundance Winter Festival/Facebook
Almost all of the events in this winter festival include snow, so the town of Sundance holds theirs in February to make sure there’s a good supply. There’s skijoring, a snowmobile hill climb, ice skating, downhill barstool races, and more. If you missed our full article, you can read more about this rip-roaring winter festival here. Upcoming Winter Festival: Weekend of February 17, 2018
Wild West Winter Carnival/Facebook
The winter carnival in Riverton is so epic it goes on for an entire month with events from mid-January through mid-February. Some of those include an antique and vintage snowmobile expo, car show, night parade, treasure hunt, poker run, ice sculpting, remote control car races, and much more. Upcoming Winter Carnival: January 14 - February 19, 2018
What Wyoming winter festivals are on your must-attend list every year?
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