Top 10 Winter Festivals

This winter as you celebrate the holidays and the beauty of the winter, take some time to explore some of the fantastic winter festivals found throughout the country. Here are a few excellent options.

Annual Lights of the Ozarks Festival, Fayetteville, AR

Held each year from Thanksgiving to New Year, Fayettville is lit up by hundreds of lights. The entire town square is decorated with lights. Visitors will also find horse drawn carriage rides and more to enjoy.

Bluff International Balloon Festival, UT

Each year in January, visitors to Utah can enjoy the stunning views of Utah's red rocks and scenery from a hot air balloon. This festival is filled with colorful balloons which visitors can ride in, as well as many friendly people and other exciting activities.

Cedarburg Winter Festival, Cedarburg, WI

Cedarburg is a wonderful town to visit throughout the year, but in winter they hold the Cedarburg Winter Festival. This festival is filled with fun winter events. Visitors can enjoy the Ice-Burg Open Gold Tournament, which is a fun new take on the sport of golf. Visitors can also enjoy the Sleeping Beauty costumed bed race on ice for a lot of fun excitement.

Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney, PA

This is the day that the famous Punxsutawney Phil predicts what the upcoming end of winter and spring. Each year on Groundhog's Day many people gather on top of Gobbler's Knob, where the yearly weather prediction is made. After enjoying the real even, travelers can also see all of the groundhogs at the Groundhog Zoo. During the festival visitors can also enjoy hayrides, ice caring, chain saw caring, food and much more.

Iditarod, AK

Alaska is known partly for its winter weather, one way to enjoy this is to try out some dog sledding. One of the most famous and well known dog sledding events is the Iditarod. The Iditarod brings together the most experienced and talented dog sledding teams in the world. They race across the Iditarod trail which covers over 1,150 miles of some of the worlds most extreme terrain. The people who choose to participate in this event have to be truly courageous and tough, and they can complete the entire trip anywhere between 10 and 17 days, a truly amazing feat.

Fire and Ice Winter Fest, Lava Hot Springs, ID

This winter festival is absolutely filled with amazing and fun events. First visitors can take the cold tube race down the Portneuf River in costume no less. Then there is the Running of the Bulls event, where participants strip down to their swim suits and run down main street. Next all of the participants get to take a soak in the mineral hot springs that the town is normally known for. Finally the festival also includes the torch parade and more.

Polar Bear Jump, Seward, AK

The Polar Bear Jump in Seward was first held in the 1980s, and it is still continuing today. There are Polar Bear events held all over the country in the beginning of January. This festival is particularly fantastic since it's especially cold  in the Alaska, and all of the jumpers wear wonderful costumes and the festival benefits non-profit  groups.

Slush Cup Weekend, Bellaire, MI

In Michigan one way to enjoy the last of winter in early March is to attend the Slush Cup Weekend. This event is filled with fun and crazy winter events. The main event is the ski and snowboard race across a pond in costume. Other racing events include the snow-shovel race or the seal sled race. Visitors that prefer a little warmer experience can instead take part in the Fuity Suity even, where all the contestants stuff as much fruit into the swim suits and possible.

Sundance Film Festival, Park City, UT

This is one of the biggest film festivals of the year in the United States. Visitors to this festival won't only have the opportunity to enjoy all of the fame and excitement of the festival, they can also enjoy all of the wonderful skiing at Park City.

Winter Festival of Lights, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Each year in Niagara Falls, there is an amazing show of lights from November through January. The show lights up Niagara Falls and visitors will also find many amazing displays and more. This festival can be enjoyed both in New York and in Canada.

Courtesy of Camping.com