Improv-ICE 

When: February 4-11, 2021
Where: Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester

2020 wasn't a normal year. In 2021, Improv-ICEing is the name of the game. The hardy Minnesotan-favorite ice festival event SocialICE is being adapted to Improv-ICE, a physically distanced winter opportunity that will include a large Instagram-worthy community ice sculpture, restaurant initiative, photo contest, and other seasonal fun.

Buy a Meal, Give a Meal Campaign

Details and participating restaurants here.

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! From February 4 through 11, for every transaction (dine-in check, take-out order, gift card purchase, etc.) recorded at participating downtown restaurants, a group of community supporters will donate a meal to Channel One Regional Food Bank.

Participating bars and restaurants to date include:

RDA is seeking community members to partner on the Buy a Meal, Give a Meal campaign and financially support the meal donation portion of the program. Interested donors can contact info@rdowntownalliance.com or visit the GoFundMe page.

How have you Improv-ICEd in the past year?

Get the #ImprovICE details here.

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.

How to share your Improv-ICEations:

  1. Record a short video or snap a photo of how you Improv-ICEd this past year.
  2. Post it to social media using #ImprovICE. (Must be public to view and reshare.) Or submit it here.
  3. Every Thursday through February 11, we’ll feature how the community has Improv-ICEd on Instagram from those who’ve shared their inspiring, thought-provoking, or downright hilarious videos/photos.

Inspiration of Improv-ICEs:

  • Set up an at-home office
  • Got an at-home haircuts (good or bad)
  • Adjusted how family got “together” over the holidays
  • Learned to cook at home
  • Grew a garden
  • Picked up a new hobby
  • Created an at-home gym
  • Started distance learning (open to parents’ perspective or students’ views)

Improv-ICE community ice sculpture contest

Sure, working with metal, clay, or wood is relatively easy. But what about ice?

Those who thought they could ace the medium of ice submitted designs for the Improv-ICE sculpture contest! Congratulations to Tiffany Alexandria for designing the winning community-voted Improv-ICE sculpture, Celebrate RochMN, which will be displayed at Improv-ICE in February 2021. Learn about the iconic elements of the Celebrate RochMN ice sculpture design here.