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What happens when you bring together ice carving, a polar plunge, fashionable dogs (and cats?!), spectacular kids activities, fun music, and delicious local food on a winter’s day? You guessed it — the famous Camden Winterfest!
The Camden Public Library is excited to announce that the 22nd annual Camden Winterfest will take place on Saturday, January 25 from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM with all of the beloved traditions PLUS bonus features including live jazz and a book sale, and MORE hot food than ever before!
Schedule of Events
9:30 AM – Ice Carving Teams arrive
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM – Winterfest Book Sale at the Blue Door Book Shed
10:30 AM – 2:00 PM – Participate or watch ice carving (professionals and amateurs!) and enjoy delicious hot food and fun music!
10:30 AM – Polar Plunge with Sundog Outdoor Leadership Initiative
All Winterfest Long – Indoor activities for kids with Miss Amy including crafts and face painting! PLUS local favorite group ALL THAT JAZZ will be playing live in the library rotunda for those who want to warm up
11:30 AM – Line up for Doggie Fashion Show
12:00 PM – Doggie Fashion Show (participate or watch!)
TIME TBD – Story Walk with Miss Amy around the Amphitheatre and Harbor Park
Hot food, treats, music, ice carving, and indoor activities continue until 2:00 PM! Book sale continues until 4:00 PM!
Scroll down for the full details on all the Winterfest happenings!
Pre-Register for the Doggie Fashion Show!
Sign up ahead of time to secure a spot in the Doggie Fashion Show, a beloved tradition of Winterfest. Your pet(s) can be as elaborately or simply dressed as they prefer. (Cats and other creatures welcome, too!) Winterfest starts at 10:30 AM in the Camden Amphitheatre. Line up for the fashion show at 11:30 AM. Share this with everyone and everypup you know!
Sign up for Ice Carving! Ice Carving is now full. Sign up to be on the waitlist!
Have you ever wanted to try ice carving? Winterfest is your chance to transform a crystal-clear, 300 lb. block of ice into a sparkling sculpture! No experience is necessary and all tools will be provided. Sign up for an ice block on your own or with friends, a group, school, or organization. It’s a blast for all ages! Thanks to help from First National Bank, we have reduced the price to $60/ice block for each team!
If you sign up using the online form, you can bring your fee (cash or check) to the library’s front desk or snail mail it to ATTN: Julia Sagaser, Camden Public Library, 55 Main Street, Camden, ME 04843.
Winterfest Festivities begin on Saturday, January 25 at 10:30 AM in the Camden Amphitheatre!
This year, we’re kicking Winterfest off with a (cold) splash! The 7th Annual Polar Plunge FUNdraiser, put on by Sundog Outdoor Leadership Initiative, will take place FIRST due to the tides. At 10:30 AM, Polar Plungers will run and splash into the frigid Camden Harbor to benefit Sundog. Join the brave or watch the show from the comfort of your coat!
After the drama at the harbor, hurry back to the Amphitheatre for delicious hot local food served up by volunteers from First National Bank. Chili, soup, grilled hot dogs, cookies, cocoa, and more will all be on the menu! All proceeds from food sales will benefit the Camden Public Library and parks. Thank you to all of the local businesses who are donating food to make Winterfest possible!
With your hot food and drinks in hand, watch professional and amateur ice carvers transform 300-pound, crystal-clear blocks of ice into sparkling masterpieces, while our favorite DJ Matt Brown plays his spectacular selection of music.
If you want to participate in the Doggie Fashion Show, start lining up at the signs 11:30 a.m.! The first 25 participants will win a prize. Outfits can be as simply or elaborate as your pet prefers. Cats are more than welcome, too! Everyone else, gather round for the spectacle! The famous Doggie Fashion Show will commence at 12:00 p.m. in the Amphitheatre.
After, kids and families can join childrens librarian Miss Amy for a wintery Story Walk through the Amphitheatre and Harbor Park! Check back soon for an exact time!
Visitors can always pop into the Camden Public Library to warm up, where All That Jazz will be playing live music in the rotunda and Miss Amy will be leading creative winter crafts and face-painting. There will also be a special Winterfest Book Sale happening in the Blue Door Book Shed from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with fantastic prices!
Parking
Atlantic Avenue will be closed during Winterfest. Free parking is available on streets in town, including Main Street. Further parking is available at:
– Knox Mill Parking Lot, located at the Knox Mill between Knowlton Street and Washington Street.
– Washington Street Parking Lot, located next to the Camden Public Safety Building, which is across from the Knox Mill parking lot.
These are all within short walking distance of the Camden Amphitheatre.
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:
AND IN-KIND DONATIONS FROM:
plus Scott’s Place!
Camden Winterfest is made possible by the generous support of First National Bank, in-kind donations from Buttermilk Kitchen at Marriner’s, Megunticook Market, Camden Deli, Hannaford in Camden, Scott’s Place, Bagel Cafe, French & Brawn Marketplace, Rankin’s Hardware/Viking Lumber, and a dedicated team of volunteers.
Check back soon for a more complete list of our generous in-kind donors!