This post may contain affiliate links where we earn from qualifying purchases. As an amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Find out more in our disclosure.
The magical Ice Castles are coming back to Edmonton for yet another Canadian winter. If you’re anywhere near Edmonton, they’re the perfect winter outing or addition to any winter getaway you’ve got planned. With only 6 Ice Castle locations in North America, the Edmonton Alberta location is the only Canadian Ice Castle.
As far as winter attractions go, the Ice Castles are one of the most unique that we’ve ever seen (and we LOVE winter, so that’s saying A LOT). It’s no wonder that the Ice Castles are one of the most popular winter attractions in Alberta.
It’s essentially a frozen wonderland that’s part art and part playground.
Once inside, you’ll find room after room of frozen wonder. Icicles reflecting the ever changing light, and every turn seems to draw you in and make you want to explore more.
Really though, who doesn’t love playing in the snow and ice? Our entire family loves exploring Ice Castles – kids and adults included.
The Ice Castles make me feel as if I’ve been suddenly transported back in time to my childhood where the magic of winter always felt like it would make my tiny body burst with excitement. At the Ice Castles, this is the place to really embrace the magic of winter and act like a kid again.
Crawl through ice tunnels, race up a frozen staircase, and let yourself shriek with delight as you zoom down a slide completely made of ice. Take a seat on a frozen throne, or stare in wonder at the beautiful ice sculptures.
At night, the ice is lit up by colored LED lights that make the whole Castle take on an entirely new effect. Changing colors glow through the ice, and the lights take the magic to an entirely new level.
The Ice Castles are all constructed from scratch every single year by ice artists. It takes months to grow all of the icicles and in the end the castle is made up of 20 MILLION pounds of ice.
The dates of the Ice Castles are incredibly dependant on the weather. This year the Edmonton Ice Castles are planning on opening January
Every year that we visit the Ice Castles with our family, we learn a little bit more to make our experience even better, so here I’m sharing all the tips and tricks you need to know for an amazing visit to the Ice Castles.
What to expect when you visit the Ice Castles
First of all, the Ice Castles aren’t quite what you would envision Elsa from Frozen building. What you will actually find is more like a roof-less fortress made out of ice. It’s made of thousands and thousands of icicles and takes months to create. Think of it more like a giant, wide, ice waterfall! The Alberta Ice Castles usually reach heights of 30 feet tall.
It will take you a minimum of an hour to really explore everything there, and it would be easy to spend 2 hours if you’ve got kids with you or want to do the slides. We typically stay until the kids are cold and leave a giant thermos full of hot cocoa in the car to share as soon as we’re done.
When is the best time to visit the Ice Castles?
The best time of day to visit the Ice Castles is about an hour before sunset. This allows you some time to see them in the daylight (which is fantastic for pictures), but also be there when it’s starting to get dark so that you can experience them in both light and dark.
Weekends at the Ice Castles can get VERY BUSY so if possible, try and go during the week.
What to wear to the Ice Castles?
When you’re heading to the Ice Castles remember to dress WARM! Remember that this is a whole castle made of ICE and SNOW and if you are going in the evening, it will be extra cold. Wear good base layers, an insulating layer like fleece and then snow pants and a coat on top. Of course, a warm hat and waterproof mittens are a must, especially with kids who will likely be touching the ice for the few hours you are are there! (Read our review of the best waterproof mittens and gloves for kids)
While many people think that snow pants are options when visiting the Ice Castles, think again. I’ve seen many people there in jeans or other regular pants, and after crawling through a few tunnels or going down the slide, they’re wet and cold.
Also, make sure that you wear snow boots to the ice castles. The floor of the ice castles is basically crushed ice and snow and it can get kind of messy. Your feet will get wet and cold so waterproof snow boots are your best footwear option. Not sure what boots are best for your kids? Read our review of the top kids snow boots.
Under your boots, wool socks are a
What do do first at the Ice Castles
As soon as you get to the Ice Castles, head for the ice slides. The lines on these get long FAST, so the sooner you can get in line the better. During the week, you may only have to wait for 5-10 minutes but the wait can be well over 30 minutes at peak times. Generally the later in the day it is, the longer the line gets, so go early.
What to bring for a visit to the Ice Castles
Camera
While your iPhone does a pretty good job on most photos, capturing the unique lighting of the ice castles will work much better if you take a good camera with you. Make sure to take a case to put it in as well, since you’ll want to race down the ice slides too and you want to make sure your nice camera is protected. I personally use the Nikon D3500 which is a great quality,
  |   |
Sled
If you’ve got young kids, a sled is the best option for getting them around. I’ve seen a few parents there trying to push a stroller through the ice and snow and it looked absolutely miserable. Having a sled will be tricky on really crowded days or weekends, so this will work best on a mid-week visit. I recommend taking a sled with a back so that the kids can sit upright better and look around like these sleds.
  |   |
Hot Chocolate
We always take a big insulated jug full of hot chocolate and keep it in the car for as soon as we’re done. It’s a great way to warm up AND a fun way to wrap up a family outing. We absolutely love our giant jug since it keeps our cocoa warm ALL DAY and it holds enough so everyone can have seconds! Also, if you haven’t tried this Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, you’re seriously missing out!
Getting Tickets to the Ice Castles
If you want the best deal on tickets to the Ice Castles, make sure to buy them online, as tickets are more expensive if you buy them at the gate.
Tickets can be purchased from the Ice Castles website.
Regular ticket prices on weekdays are $10.99 for kids and $13.99 for adults and weekend ticket prices are $12.99 for kids and $17.99 for adults.
If you purchase tickets at the gate, they are $17 on weekdays and $20 on weekends.
Edmonton Alberta Ice Castle Discount Code 2020
For an extra 15% off your tickets, use the online code:
to purchase tickets online.
At all Ice Castle locations, kids 0-3 are free and discounted kids rates are available for kids from 4-11.
Do I need advance tickets to the Ice Castles?
During main times, tickets do sell out, so it’s smart to purchase them in advance. When you purchase your tickets, you purchase them for a specific entry time, not just the date so keep that in mind as well. Like I mentioned above, I think that the best time to visit the Ice Castles is about an hour before sunset so that you can see them both during the day and at night.
How to Get to the Edmonton Alberta Ice Castles
The Ice Castles are located right inside Hawrelak Park. There are several parking spots close by the Ice Castles. There is also a large parking lot nearby. If you need additional parking, there are many parking places along the interior loop of Hawrelak Park as well.
