Traditional burning of viking ship, Up Helly Aa festival, Shetland
Photograph: Pvince73 / Shutterstock.com
Photograph: Pvince73 / Shutterstock.com

The 9 best winter festivals to cheer up the blues

Banish the post-festive slump with light festivals, ice sculpture contests and more

Liv Kelly
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So that’s it – holiday season is over. The baubles are back in the attic, the stockings removed from the mantlepiece, and the New Year’s hangover is (just about) dissipating. For many of us, the months ahead represent a harsh, cold hurdle to overcome before the days start getting brighter, warmer and longer.

But while we in the northern hemisphere are still in the bleak midwinter, it’s not all doom and gloom. The coming months will see some spectacular winter festivals all over Europe, the US and beyond. From city-centre light displays and ice sculpture contests to reindeer racing and torch-lit processions, there’s lots in store to kick those winter blues. So chin up, and read on: these are the world’s best winter festivals in 2025.

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This list was written by Liv Kelly, a writer for Time Out Travel. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts.

The best winter festivals in 2025

1. Winter Lights at Canary Wharf

LondonUK

Canary Wharf might just be a shedload of offices to plenty of London visitors, but if you happen to be in the capital at the end of January this year, be sure to check out Winter Lights. Winding through all the glassy skyscrapers is a trail of 12 twinkly installations, including silky sari fabric lit by luminous threads and a stack of bathtubs radiating sound as well as light. Sounds pretty surreal, doesn’t it? We’d recommend wrapping up warm, and grabbing a hot chocolate for the walk.

When: January 21-Feb 1, 2025

2. Kiruna Snow Festival

Kiruna, Sweden

The Snow Festival (or snöfestivalen) is one of many reasons the northern Swedish city of Kiruna was recently crowned the next European Capital of Culture. As you might guess, this is a celebration of snow and all the things you can do with it. Kiruna International Snow Sculpture Competition brags some unbelievably impressive works made from the stuff. Then there’s snowy activities like dog sledding and reindeer racing. And let’s not forget the Snow Blower World Championships! 2025 is particularly special, as it’s the fest’s 40th anniversary.

When: January 22-26, 2025

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3. Saint Paul Winter Carnival

St Paul, Minnesota, US

The oldest winter festival in the US, Minnesota’s Saint Paul Winter Carnival is an aptly seasonal take on the summer carnival. There are plenty of impressive snow sculptures, and even an Ice Palace, but it’s the carnival’s offbeat activities that make it worth the visit. There’s a medallion treasure hunt where visitors are given daily clues to decipher the whereabouts of a cash prize, an ice fishing tournament, the crowning of a Winter Carnival Royal Court, a cat show and even a doggie depot, where the Canine King and Queen are crowned. The whole thing came about in response to a a New York Times journalist describing Minnesota as ‘another Serbia, unfit for human habitation’. They certainly proved them wrong. 

When: January 23-February 1, 2025

4. Vilnius Light Festival

Vilnius, Lithuania

Lithuania’s lovely capital is characterised by its quaint architecture and Old Town, but Vilnius Light Festival provides a brilliant contrast with a tonne of illuminated digital art, installations and ‘dynamically moving architecture’ throughout the city. And we’re not talking small scale here – some of the city’s most popular spots will be set aglow with eye-catching, mind-bending displays, and there’ll be huge beams of light shooting into the sky. Quite the spectacle, eh?

When: January 24-26, 2025

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5. Up Helly Aa Fire Festival

Shetland, Scotland

While lots of the festivals on this list are about embracing the cold in all its glory, the people up in Shetland really bring the heat in winter. Inspired by the island’s Viking history, Up Helly Aa Fire Festival sees residents of the remote spot congregate in traditional dress, boogie to traditional music and light a tonne of torches. Celebrations take place across the archipelago from January to March, the largest of which is in the town of Lerwick, on the last Tuesday of January. 

When: From January 28

6. Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo, Japan

Back for its 75th year, the Sapporo Snow Festival is a showcase of snow art at its very best. There’s staggering talent on display here, with local artists turning their hand to large-scale replicas of both Japanese and international landmarks. Alongside sculptures big and small, there are snow games and plenty more activities throughout the island of Hokkaido. Basically, the whole place becomes a proper winter wonderland. Need to thaw? Thankfully the island has plenty of toasty hot springs and open spas

When: February 4-11, 2025

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7. LlumBCN

Barcelona, Spain

The good thing about long, dark evenings? They provide the perfect backdrop for light installations. How else are all those neons and sparkles gonna pop? Barcelona’s edition, LlumBCN, is well worth a trip to Spain for. For 2025, there will be 15 installations by artists, including photographer Joan Fontcuberta and set designer and light artist Laura Clos, as well as 17 designed by university students dotted across the neighbourhood of Poblenou. 

When: February 7-9, 2025

8. Montréal en Lumière

Montreal, Canada

You’ve heard of an ice rink, but what about a skating loop? The Loto-Québec Skating Loop is just one of the many outdoor activities on offer at the Montréal en Lumière festival this year which, according to its website, will show you how to do winter ‘the Montréal way’. And while you might think you know how to do winter, this option does sound pretty darn fun. There’s DJ sets, a fairground and a packed musical programme, with everything from folk to symphonic performances.

When: February 27-March 9, 2025

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9. Mongolia Ice Festival

Khövsgöl, Mongolia

Mongolia is one of the world’s greatest winter destinations. It gets cold out there, and locals don’t just embrace the chill, they celebrate it. Festivals are held throughout winter, and in March, locals take to the frozen Lake Khövsgöl to celebrate the annual Ice Festival for two days of icy activities. It does exactly what it says on the tin: horse sled racing, skating marathons, ice sculptures, a local craft market, a glorious bonfire and even wrestling competitions on the ice, amidst the glistening mountainous scenery of the Khövsgöl province.

When: March 3-4, 2025

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