Every January, International Falls leans into its title as the “Icebox of the Nation” with Icebox Days, a sprawling ten-day winter festival that turns the coldest time of year into a reason to get outside. Coordinated by the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, it is one of the most distinctive winter celebrations in the region.
Icebox Days got its start in 1980, when a group of community members decided that the deep freeze of a northern Minnesota winter was better celebrated than endured. They picked the third week of January on purpose, right when temperatures tend to bottom out. Over the decades, the festival built a national following, drawing coverage from CBS, NBC, ABC, The Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, and dozens of other outlets. Emmy Award-winning journalist JuJu Chang even made the trip north for an ABC Nightline feature on the city.
The event lineup leans into the absurd in the best possible way. The flagship Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run sends 5K and 10K runners out into conditions that would send most people straight back to bed. The race has never been canceled, even when windchills plunged to historic lows, and it draws competitors from across the country and Canada each year. Beyond the race, the schedule fills up fast with frozen turkey bowling, smoosh races (four-person teams strapped to wooden boards in a chaotic take on the three-legged race), a toilet seat toss, boot hockey, ice golf on Rainy Lake, Icebox Idol, a candlelight snowshoe hike through the boreal forest at Voyageurs National Park, and more. Events are scattered across the city at spots including Smokey Bear Park, the Backus Community Center, and local bars and restaurants.
None of it happens without the effort of dozens of volunteers and the backing of local and regional sponsors. The festival is organized by the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the City of International Falls.
