Get an insider's look at Social-ICE 2023!

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 below!

Social-ICE Febrero 24-25, 2023

Social-ICE es un festival de hielo al aire libre en el centro de Rochester que cuenta con esculturas heladas, bares temáticos con cócteles ingeniosos, DJ nocturnos y mucha más diversión invernal.

Social-ICE Febraayo 24-25, 2023

Social-ICE waa bandhig baraf dibadda ah oo leh farshaxanno barafka, baararka mawduuca leh ee leh cocktails hal-abuur leh, DJ-yo habeenkii, iyo madadaalo badan ee jiilaalka oo magaalada hoose ah Rochester.

النشاطات الإجتماعية على الجليدSocial-ICE 24-25 فبراير 2023

السطر 1: نشاط الجليد Social-ICE هو مهرجان جليدي على الهواء الطلق يضمُّ منحوتات جليدية، و أماكن ترفيهية ذات طابع خاص مع نشاطات خلّاقة متنوعة و فعّاليات موسيقية ليّلة، و مزيداً من متعة الشتاء في وسط مدينة روشيستر.

Quick event information

Dates and times: 4 to 10 p.m. each day from Friday, February 24 to Saturday, February 25
Where: Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester

Click here for a downloadable Social-ICE map!

6 themed bars

This year, veteran and newcomer bars are uniting under an overall theme of Social-ICE: Decades! While the bars are still planning what to expect from their choice, be on the lookout for an upcoming blog about each one’s selected decade and the themed cocktails that pair with them! Here is a sneak peek of which downtown bars are gearing up to participate in Social-ICE:

Click here for a full look at each bars' themed cocktails and decade!

Ice, ice, baby, ice!

Standing tall next to each participating Social-ICE bar will be a full-scale sculpture as a tribute to their chosen decade. These large ice sculptures will be begging for you to snap a photo next to them. Imagine the possibilities! (By the way, stay tuned for more details about a #SocialICE photo contest to enter and win great prizes!) Speaking of #SocialICE images, the star photo opportunity at this event is the large Social-ICE letters, on that will make everyone who sees your post wish they were at Social-ICE! Remember the Wall of ICE and the iconic ice curtain entrance? Those features all return with the comeback Social-ICE 2023 and provide a great backdrop for photos, too.

Rockin' DJs

With a drink in hand, you can dance the nights away to the energetic tunes coming from the DJ turntable. What a way to warm up on a chilly February evening at Social-ICE! Each night will feature a new DJ, so it is always a different experience, no matter what day or time you come. Find out who are the Social-ICE DJs this year here.

Delicious dining

When it’s time for food, here are options for where to go! Corona’s Tacos are stepping out of their 1st Avenue skyway location to bring the street tacos to you in its mobile truck. It’s a perfect eat to enjoy while walking around Social-ICE. What else is perfect for mobility is B-Lo Zero Mini Donuts, which will also be at the event. Enjoy the sugary, sweet, hot delicious bits of donut and wash it down with a hot chocolate. Take a seat on one of the available tables near the Social-ICE food area or take your eats to a nearby Heart of the City tree room to enjoy from one of the benches there. If a break from the cold is needed, any of the nearby restaurants would be happy to welcome you in for a warm meal before heading back home or back out to Social-ICE!

Add-on activities

Come to Social-ICE for the themed bars, DJs, and ice sculptures and stay for the other fun to be had! This includes light-up activities like a Lite Brite™, hula hoops, jump ropes, and Skip-Its™. Challenge your friends or a just-met friend to a game of jumbo Jenga. Huddle around the fire pits generously provided by Kraus-Anderson for Social-ICE. Warm up inside the Majestic Tents igloo warming house and gab with your crew. Be in the audience when the Social-ICE TV partner, KTTC, goes live for its broadcast from a one-of-a-kind ice desk. Something new to look forward to this year is an opportunity to tour My Sauna Life, a mobile sauna trailer. It's also another opportunity to keep warm during Social-ICE! A returning feature to Social-ICE is a popular attraction from 2020: curling! Find out some of the new features at Social-ICE here.

Family-friend fun awaits you and the kids for Social-ICE FAM JAM from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 25! Click here for the FAM JAM preview blog.

The necessities (like parking and restrooms)

When you are planning to come to Social-ICE, one of the first things you may ask is where is closest to park. We have you covered, and so does the City of Rochester with its covered ramps! The closest is the Center Street Ramp, with other parking options within walking distance. Bonus: parking is free after 5 p.m. and on the weekend. If you would rather leave your car at home and plan for a sober ride, call for an Uber or Lyft to and from Social-ICE.

Oh so n-ICE partners

We couldn’t put this event without the help of these community partners to enhance the experience you have at Social-ICE:

Stay up to date on Social-ICE here and by following the Facebook event updates.

(Video credit: Tyler Aug of The Rochester Posse)