A cool ice sculpture festival is coming to Governors Island this winter

If it's going to be frigid in New York City, we might as well dig in and take advantage of the cold. To embrace the freezing temperatures, head to Governors Island for a very cool ice sculpture show this winter.

See local artists carve incredible sculptures of wildlife, stars, and even a human heart—completely out of ice. This year's Governors Island Ice Sculpture Show is set for Saturday, February 8, 2025, from noon to 3pm with a slate of 10 artists. It's free to attend. 

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In preparation for the festival, artists were invited to submit proposals inspired by the theme "Governors Island + nature." Ten finalists were selected, and each one has been paired with a professional ice carver from Okamoto Studio for the show. 

Watch in awe for real-time ice carving from noon to 2pm, then stick around from 2 to 3pm to see the ice sculptures installed and learn who wins awards. The event will also include ice carving workshops from Okamoto Studio, crafts from Red Hook Art Project, live music by disco-infused Afrofuturist funk duo The Illustrious Blacks, and a special performance by NYC-based all-women, trans, and non-binary drumline Fogo Azul. Makina Café will be open in Colonels Row, alongside additional food trucks Nao Caribbean Flavors, The Original Soupman, and Deploy Coffee, curated by Four Wheel Feasts.

2025 Ice Sculpture Show artists

Here's what to expect from the 10 selected artists.

• Ana Anu (@soopspoon) – "Bear Witness," Anu’s ecopoetic sculpture that reflects the importance of animism in climate storytelling, will call for audience members to witness the quiet voices of the elemental.
• Elijah Chavez (@lijahchavez.art) – "Lo que pasará, pasará" will depict an anatomical human heart while serving as a community alter inspired by the Mexican customs of the Day of the Dead.
• Jake DeMartini – A nod to 19th-century maritime history, DeMartini's "Mooring Bollard" honors the titular object's minimal design and engineering alongside Governors Island's nautical history.
• Shawn Hill (@ublincd) – Selected in honor of Hill's childhood creativity, "Tufted Titmouse" will depict this species of bird that is commonly seen on Governors Island.
• Aharon Levy – Levy's "Governors Island: New York Oasis" will explore the tension between nature and urban environments, depicting a tree encased in ice and offering a reflection on impermanence, climate change, and nature’s resilience.
• Agustina Markez (@agustinamarkezstudio) – Markez will explore the star as a symbol both in the context of nature and pop culture through "Intertwined Stars," which investigates identity and displacement in relation to American culture.
• Josef Pinlac (@istillheartnewyork) – Pinlac will celebrate pollinators in "Ice ice bay-bee," incorporating honeycomb designs and honoring the island's bee population.
• Sonya Sobieski (@crookedsquare) – Sobieski's "Looking Out" will depict an oversized pair of binoculars with birds commonly seen on Governors Island etched into the lenses, asking the viewer, "can we look out for nature?"
• Katerina Sokolovskaya (@katerina.sokolovskaya.art) – In "Nature+," Sokolovskaya will explore how people coexist with their surroundings, showing how bodies influence one another and interact with the environment.
• Mai Sone (@mai__sone) – In honor of the island's acorn-like shape, Sone will sculpt "a squirrel eating Governors Island."

Getting to Governors Island

During the winter months, Governors Island is open to the public daily from 7am to 6pm with a hammock grove, bike rentals, picnic areas, public art, and more. 

It's an island after all, so you'll have to get there by boat, and there are two options.

First, Trust for Governors Island-operated ferries run daily between the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan and Soissons Landing on the Island. Round-trip ferry tickets cost $5 for adults. Governors Island ferries are always free for children 12 and under, older adults ages 65 and up, residents of NYCHA, IDNYC holders, current and former military service members, and Governors Island members. Ferries before 11am on Saturdays and Sundays are free for all. Get tickets here.

Another options is NYC Ferry. The city’s public ferry service, NYC Ferry also serves Governors Island daily on the South Brooklyn Route during the winter months, with stops in Lower Manhattan and along the Brooklyn waterfront. Here's more on schedules and details.