Discover Downtown Rochester

Did you and the chill-dren have a good time at Social-ICE FAM JAM? Share your experience and feedback in this short survey! Doing so helps us improve the event in the future.

Social-ICE, with its themed bars, ice sculptures, and live DJs, made a much anticipated comeback since 2020. How did you like the return of this downtown Rochester iconic ice festival? Share your feedback here to help us improve the event!

Coming into focus is Social-ICE February 24-25 (which is now less than two weeks away)! If we're being candid, we're excited for the return of ice sculptures and popular wintertime activities and hope you are, too. Your exposure—or attendance—at Social-ICE and participation in the official photo contest could win you quality prizes. Find out more details about the #SocialICE photo contest here.

Social-ICE is downtown Rochester's iconic ice festival event and has been since its inception in 2008. Though the event remains consistent with its themed bars and DJs, plenty has changed. Find out the five new features of Social-ICE and its family-friendly day, Social-ICE FAM JAM, here.

Delicious. Hot. Gooey. What else could we be talking about other than a s'more, a tasty treat of graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate. How do you make the perfect one, you ask? Our friends at Kraus-Anderson will help you make a perfect s'more while at Social-ICE FAM JAM February 25 with these three tips.

With this year's Social-ICE, we are taking it back to the distant and not-so-distant past for one overall theme! Decades are how each participating bar will distinguish itself. Look forward to stepping back in time for the following decades and drinks!

Let's be honest: the vibes coming from the DJs' turntables are what make up the energy of Social-ICE! While the tunes are definitely familiar, let's get acquainted with the Social-ICE DJs who may be new faces (and ones we hope you will want to see again) after Social-ICE February 24-25.

Bundle up the family and head to downtown Rochester for Social-ICE FAM JAM, the free family-friendly day of Social-ICE, presented by Mayo Clinic February 25! The weather may be chilly, so the following planned activities will be a wonderful way to stay warm. Find a first-look preview of Social-ICE FAM JAM here.

With much anticipation, an iconic and beloved event in downtown Rochester’s winter months is back! The very elements you enjoy—themed bars, DJs, ice sculptures, and the sense of community—return with Social-ICE in its true form for the first time since 2020. Get your first look at the 2023 event here!

Social-ICE went from using ice to incorporating light in 2022. How did you enjoy this adapted event March 3-5? Share your experience in this short survey.

Headband versus stocking hat. Boots or regular shoes. Snow pants or not. These are real questions when it comes to preparing to attend Social Lights Thursday, Friday, and/or Saturday. So how should you dress for the forecast? Hear from the experts at KTTC TV and our resident outerwear extraordinaire!

Cheers: this is the week Social Lights is here! Still undecided about which specialty cocktails to sample? No problem! Spin this wheel to find out which of the five bars' themed drinks is your winner.

We provide the inspiration, you capture the magic! Social Lights March 3-5 will have plenty of opportunities to break out your cameras and if you follow these steps, you could be a winner in our Social Lights photo contest!

Bundle up the littles and head to downtown Rochester! From illuminated themed booths to radiant activities to brilliant photo ops, Social Lights FAM JAM March 5 is a family friendly day for all. Here's a sneak preview of what fun your family could have at this new event.

While we're turning up the light, DJs will be pumping up the music at Social Lights. And not just one music aficionado per night: 2022 will feature five throughout the event March 3-5! Move to the groove of these Social Lights DJs.

Ignite the night with Social Lights March 3-5! This light festival, adapted from the ice version of Social-ICE, will sure to get you raving and glowing about downtown Rochester's themed bars, DJs, and other radiant fun that makes up this event. Here's a sneak preview of what Social Lights will look like!

Creativity comes in many forms. The same can be said of Social Lights bars and their unique themes. Ranging from a current hit streaming series to a special tribute to a few nostalgic ones, here are the five restaurants participating as themed bars at Social Lights March 3-5!

As a adapted way to celebrate the community together, Improv-ICE featured an initiative to support local restaurants and to help those in need in the Rochester community at the same time. Here is a look at the Improv-ICE Buy a Meal, Give a Meal initiative by the numbers!

While Improv-ICE is likely a one-off in 2021 amid COVID-19, we still want to know how you liked this passive winter experience and what we could incorporate into SocialICE next year! Share your feedback in this short survey.

Cyle Erie with ISG misses the s'mores bar at SocialICE. So much so, he's found a way to Improv-ICE one! Find out how and what Improv-ICE partner ISG is doing to make client meetings work amid COVID-19 in this video.

We asked how Improv-ICE partner 106.9 KROC and Townsquare Media Improv-ICEd this past year, and boy, do they have a story to share! Check out their video here.

As SocialICE improvised, Improv-ICE is a come-and-go winter experience featuring life-sized ice sculptures including the awe-inspiring 10-ice block masterpiece of the Improv-ICE community-voted ice sculpture. Find out what else you can expect in this Insider's Guide to Improv-ICE February 4-11 (weather permitting)!

Get those cameras charged and attend Improv-ICE February 6-14 for a chance to win in the following photo contest!

Downtown bars and restaurants are typically the stars of SocialICE with their elaborately themed ice bars and specially crafted cocktails. They will shine again in 2021 with the Improv-ICE Buy a Meal, Give a Meal campaign! Find how to bolster downtown dining establishments and help those in need in the Rochester community at the same time.

Tiffany Alexandria (Improv-ICE community sculpture designer): Ever since I moved here, all I wanted for SocialICE is a big ice city that I can explore. So why not an iced Rochester? Bringing all the iconic Rochester landmarks to the center of downtown just seems SO COOL, so here are the inspirations of what I think of when I think of Rochester.

Improvise: to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available. Sound familiar? This past year has required us to adapt almost everything. That’s the spirit of Improv-ICE, an adaptation of SocialICE, after all! As a community, let’s share with others our clever adaptations, comical modifications, and inspirational revisions.

"Ice is back with our brand new invention": Improv-ICE, an adaptation of SocialICE in 2021! We asked for community-designed ice sculptures and you responded! Now it's time to vote for your favorite of these Improv-ICE ice sculpture designs!

We've given you some of the best tips and tricks to navigating your way to the best SocialICE ever. Now it's time to pull it all together into one neat little package. Call it our SocialICE Event Day Guide.

Entertainment comes in many different shapes, sizes, and sounds. At SocialICE, attendees are treated to live DJs spinning hits and classics all evening. DJs are perched atop an impressive ice DJ booth, which is great for a statement or for a selfie. So who's performing this year?