AURORA, Colo. — More than 2 million pounds of ice will be transformed into a winter wonderland this holiday season at Gaylord Rockies.
"ICE!," the Aurora resort's annual holiday tradition, will return Friday, Nov. 17.
The exhibition will use more than 2 million pounds of ice to celebrate the 1983 holiday classic "A Christmas Story."
"ICE!," which first appeared at Gaylord Rockies in 2019, is to be constructed by a team of 40 ice artisans from Harbin, China. It will take approximately six weeks to create the 17,000-square-foot frozen attraction.
Colored ice, clear ice and LED lights will be used to create 10 scenes from the movie, including the old man's major award, Aunt Clara's pink nightmare, the ultimate triple dog dare and more.
The environment is kept frozen by a state-of-the-art chilling system that maintains the attraction’s temperature at 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Guests get to wear a blue parka to stay warm inside the exhibition.
“ICE! has been a tradition at Gaylord Hotels for two decades now,” said General Manager Suzy Hart. “This is the first time Rockies has put on ‘A Christmas Story’ and watching people come together to enjoy it never gets old.”
The exhibition will also have two-story-tall ice slides, ice tunnels and arches and a separate area dedicated to a Nativity scene.
Gaylord Rockies also announced its family-friendly cirque show is back for the 2023 holiday season.
"Cirque: Spirit of Christmas" returns for another year at the hotel's Bubly Theater with dazzling costumes and aerial performances. The show will be performed by an international cast of 25 artists from Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Ethiopia, Czech Republic, Mongolia, Russia and the United States.
Gaylord Rockies said its other holiday season activities this year include a Naughty or Nice escape room, gingerbread decorating, elf training academy, scavenger hunt, Mistletoe Village with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and Build-A-Bear Workshop.
The resort's Christmas-season events run through Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.
For tickets, information, or to book a stay, guests can visit ChristmasatGaylordRockies.com.
ICE! at Gaylord Rockies
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