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'Come down and enjoy it': Ice District hosting international ice carving battle

Brad Froehlich and Larry MacFarlane from Winnipeg, Man., carve ice in downtown Edmonton on January 24, 2023. (John Hanson/CTV News Edmonton) Brad Froehlich and Larry MacFarlane from Winnipeg, Man., carve ice in downtown Edmonton on January 24, 2023. (John Hanson/CTV News Edmonton)
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Ice carving artists have taken over the Ice District Plaza in downtown Edmonton for the first-ever Chiseled International Ice Carving Competition.

The event used to be a part of the Ice On Whyte Festival but this year has moved to the plaza outside of Rogers Place.

Eight teams of two people each have been invited from across Canada and the United States to compete, creating 15 block sculptures in 36 hours.

People can watch the artists at work from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and the judging happens on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"I'm looking forward to Wednesday when the Oilers play so that all the crowd comes. Interacting with the crowd is a lot of the fun also," said artist Brad Froehlich from Winnipeg.

"It's a great atmosphere. These are my work holidays and I couldn't imagine spending it any other way."

Once the pieces are complete they'll stay up until the end of February, or whenever mother nature melts them away.

"That's something we've never been able to do before is actually leave them for the public to view and that for us is such a gift," festival producer Jill Roszell said.

"These artists spend a very intense amount of time working on these sculptures and [it's great] to have people be able to see them and come down and enjoy it."

Ice On Whyte is still happening this weekend in Old Strathcona with a focus on demonstrations and activities like teaching members of the public to carve ice.

More information about the festival is available online.

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