EDMONTON -- The Ice Castles will not return to Edmonton’s Hawrelak Park this winter because of COVID-19.

The U.S.-based company announced its decision on Wednesday.

“Although we have decided not to return this winter, we look forward to being back in Edmonton in the future," CEO Kyle Standifird said in a written release.

The company will operate four of its usual six locations this winter.

The popular winter attraction first opened in Edmonton in 2015. It is built by hand using hundreds of thousands of icicles and features sculptures, tunnels, slides and more.

Edmonton was the Ice Castles’ first Canadian location.

The company thanked its visitors, the City of Edmonton and the Silver Skate Festival for their support and said it hopes to return to the city in 2022.

The Edmonton zone had 1,318 active COVID-19 cases on Oct. 20, more than half of the province’s total.