There are a lot of pros and cons to living in a city like York. But I have to say, one of the things I love most about this city is that there’s always something going on! This weekend saw the York Ice Trail take over town on Saturday. It’s been one of my favorite festivals in York since I moved about 2.5 years ago. But this year was really something! Sculptures are placed all over town, sponsored by local businesses, and you can wander around to visit all of them. Sometimes they have giveaways or contests to enter—but mainly, it’s just seeing the cool statues.

What is York Ice Trail?

Previously, the York Ice Trail was done over two days, on a weekend in the lead up to Christmas in December. There was a lot of backlash when they decided to change the date of the event. Instead of doing the Ice Trail in December, they chose to do it in February. To be quite honest, I thought it was a pretty risky gamble. There were a lot of disappointed comments on the events’ Facebook page. Most were along the line of, “we always loved doing this when we came to York for Christmas shopping, so sad that the date has changed.” But from a marketing, advertising, and event perspective, I’m sure they wanted to try something new. Can this Ice Trail be a standalone event to draw in big numbers to York after the busy Christmas tourist season?

Interested in a FREE 10-page York Mini Guide? Included in this York Mini Guide are: The top experiences and things to do in the city Where to eat & drink (cafes, restaurants, pubs) The best daytrips outside the city An itinerary for how to spend 3 days in York Click here to get your free copy!

The overwhelming response? YES. This year’s event was amazingly successful. There were BIG crowds in York for the event. There were a lot more ice sculptures than I remember, with major centers on Parliament Street and St. Helen’s Square. There was so much more space for Ice Trail sculptures, since town wasn’t covered in Christmas markets! And it certainly attracted a lot of people, perfect timing for the slower season of January/February, when there are fewer tourists coming to York (compared to the summer, at least). I’d even go so far as to say there were almost too many people doing the Ice Trail! The team at Visit York really outdid themselves with this one. It was a great event!

I absolutely loved seeing the sculptures take over York and crossing each one off my list. This event is great for kids and families, great for people of all ages (young adults like me, and older people)—and so much fun as a blogger/photographer. If you aren’t already planning on it, make sure you get to York for next year’s Ice Trail festival.

Finding the Ice Trail Statues

There were 50 different statues this year! They had live ice carving at certain stations. They also had interactive “challenges,” mainly geared at kids. For example, you could chop away at a block of ice with candy inside—and if it’s successful, it’s yours!

As someone who lives in York, knows the city well, walks really fast, and wasn’t interested in seeing much besides the actual sculptures, I spent about 2.5 hours doing the York Ice Trail. If you don’t live in York (aka don’t know all the snickelways and fastest routes around the city), I would recommend a bare minimum of 4 hours for the Ice Trail. Preferably, give yourself 5-6 hours (a full day) so that you can stop to eat/drink as you go around, and have a leisurely pace.

Here are a few tips for visiting the York Ice Trail!

• Start early! The sculptures go out at 10:00am—plan to be in York by then. Although the event is meant to go all day until 6:00pm, I could tell a few of them were getting a bit melted and dripping by about 1:00pm. If you want the least people and best photos, start the Ice Trail early.

• Get a map! The Ice Trail is (loosely) meant to start from the York Tourist Information Center. Make sure you pick up a map so that you can plot out your route, and to make sure you don’t miss any sculptures. It doesn’t matter which way you go, but you don’t want to get lost and miss out!

• Wear comfortable shoes! York is a very pedestrian-friendly city. There are lots of streets in the city center that don’t allow cars (especially on busy weekends). You’ll be walking nearly everywhere for the York Ice Trail, so make sure you’ve got comfortable walking shoes for the day.

• Dress for the weather! Rain or shine, you’ll be outside basically all day. This year was fairly “chilly” weather (chilly for Britain I should say, it was about 35-40˚F or 2-4˚C). I’m glad I had a hat and mittens, warm (comfortable) boots, and a warm (waterproof) jacket. Always bring an umbrella, just in case.

• Avoid driving into York if possible! York is a nightmare to drive to, park in, or just in general to use a car. Try to get to the city by public transportation if you can. If you are driving, I really recommend using one of the Park and Ride facilities (several different ones located all around the Ring Road). Traffic was worse than usual during the day for this event—and it’s generally bad on a weekend day anyways.

Here are some more of my favorite photos from this year’s York Ice Trail. I really tried to avoid photos with people (especially kids) in them, but it was hard with how busy it was!

I already can’t wait for next year!

York is just two hours away from London by train, making it an weekend away. The York Ice Trail makes for a great excuse to have a weekend in York! I always use Trainline to find the best deals for train tickets. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Planning on staying overnight in York? I’d recommend the following places:

• Budget: Safestay York or the Fort Boutique Hostel
• Mid-range: Hotel Indigo or Galtres Lodge
• Luxury: The Grand

You can book hostels in York here, and check out hotels in York here!

Check out my other York posts!

The Best Festivals in York, England

The Best Bookshops in York

Walking in a Winter Wonderland: York in the Snow

The Best Restaurants in York, England

The Best Bars and Pubs in York, England

The Best Cafes and Coffee Shops in York, England

Quintessential Yorkshire: The Best 4 Daytrips From York

Where to Take the Best Photos of York Minster in York

20 Things to Do in York That Are Absolutely FREE!

The Best Snickelways in York

9 Reasons to Visit York at Christmas

18 Hidden Gems to See in York

5 Things You Must Do in York

The Best Walks in and Around York, England

Have you ever been to York for the Ice Trail or another an event?

Like this post? Pin it for later!

Interested in a FREE 10-page York Mini Guide? Included in this York Mini Guide are: The top experiences and things to do in the city Where to eat & drink (cafes, restaurants, pubs) The best daytrips outside the city An itinerary for how to spend 3 days in York Click here to get your free copy!