Madison's Winter Festival Celebrates Frozen Lakes Under Threat

More than 1,000 people braved the cold to celebrate frozen lakes in Madison, Wisconsin this February, knowing their winter playground might not freeze safely for much longer.

The city's 14th annual Frozen Assets Festival transformed Lake Mendota into a winter wonderland, complete with skydivers, kite flyers, ice hockey games, and the only 5K race run entirely on ice. The celebration honors what organizers call the city's "greatest asset" when temperatures drop.

Madison sits on a thin strip of land between two lakes, Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. For generations, residents have ice fished, skated, and snowshoed across the frozen surfaces each winter. Historical records tracking when the lakes freeze stretch back over 100 years, originally kept because ice harvesting was big business in the region.

But those records now tell a troubling story. Lake Mendota's freezing date has shifted nearly a month later than it used to be, according to Hilary Dugan, a limnologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The ice that does form isn't always reliable enough for people to safely walk on.

"Traditionally, these were lakes that froze really safely every winter," says Dugan. "And that's becoming less certain going into the future." Climate change has made winter temperatures swing unpredictably, creating dangerous ice conditions that are harder to predict.

The festival itself had to move completely onto land just two years ago when the ice was too unsafe. This year brought better conditions, with over a foot of solid ice supporting the festivities.

Festival attendees learned about ice thickness from university researchers, watched demonstrations of snow snake (a traditional Indigenous winter sport), and skated at the hotel rink. Kids played among giant fish kites while adults competed in ice skating races and hockey games.

The Bright Side

James Tye, executive director of Clean Lakes Alliance, the nonprofit hosting the festival, sees the event as both celebration and education. By bringing people onto the ice while it's still possible, the festival helps residents appreciate what they could lose and why protecting it matters.

The community response proves people care deeply about preserving these winter traditions for future generations.