Rochester Social ICE – 5 reasons to attend!

I’m a true believer in making the most of winter here in the Minnesota tundra. We live here for a reason, people! It’s time to embrace it!

One of my favorite winter activities I’ve done to date is attend Rochester Social ICE. I was invited to attend the annual event in Rochester last weekend, but this event has been on my radar the last few years! We had the weekend free this year, so we jumped in the car and headed to Rochester.

What exactly IS Social ICE? Here’s your answer: A few downtown Rochester streets close for the weekend, and local bars and restaurants line the streets with themed ice bars. But that’s just the beginning.

Keep reading for 5 reasons you need to attend the Rochester Social ICE!

Reason #1: A unique winter experience

In today’s age, people are always looking for the new and different. What could be more unique than attending an ice bar event in the middle of winter in Minnesota? Bundle up, grab your friends, and head outside! Don’t forget to take some pics for Instagram 🙂 So many fun photo opps.

Reason #2: Themed ice bars and specialty drinks

At Social ICE, each participating bar and restaurant creates a themed bar made of actual ice with matching specialty drinks that you can’t get unless you attend Social ICE! We loved Dooley’s Pub’s Day of the Dead theme and the Loop’s Woodstock theme! Whoever carves these bars is magic. And don’t even get me started on the drinks. So many hot drinks to warm up with – our favorite was Dooley’s tequila rose hot chocolate – seriously tasted like strawberry hot chocolate!

Reason #3: Admire the ice sculptures

We spent so much of our time walking around and taking in all of the cool ice sculptures at Social ICE. People are so creative! We even played air hockey on a table made of ice. No air of course, but SO COOL. Literally. And even though it’s not actually a sculpture, I was obsessed with the hanging ice cubes that framed the entrance! 

Reason #4: Dance the night away (in snow pants)

Never have I ever seen people dancing to a DJ while wearing snow pants until I attended Social ICE. Note to all of you: WEAR SNOW PANTS IF YOU GO. You will fit in and be much warmer because of it! Each night a DJ is spinning tunes to get people moving and it’s so fun!

Reason #5: Warm up in an igloo!

When you’re surrounded by ice in the middle of a Minnesota winter, there has to be a way to stay warm, right? Besides dancing, of course. There’s plenty of heaters and fires outside, but if you want the ultimate warmth, head inside the massive igloo. Here, we found free arcade games and best of all, heat!

Rochester Social ICE usually runs from Thursday night – Saturday night on a weekend in February each year. Keep your eye out for next year’s event – you won’t want to miss it! Click here for more info.

Thank you to Downtown Rochester for hosting us at this event!