Hundreds kick off Lake George Winter Carnival

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Despite extra cold temperatures, hundreds of people filled Shepard Park Saturday for the annual Lake George Winter Carnival. This month-long carnival kicked off on Friday with promising potential for ice racing this year, after five years without it.

Jessyca Darrah, co-chair of the Lake George Winter Carnival said every year the weekends are busy, especially opening weekend.

“It has been nonstop, if you look behind us there are so many people here, this hot chocolate bar has not let up,” said Darrah.

There were plenty of fan-favorites on Saturday including a polar plunge, chili cook off, parade, bonfire, outhouse race and more. Some guests said they come every year.

“It’s a beautiful town look at the lights and everything it’s a beautiful experience we just love it here,” said Gary Candido, a Lake George resident.

Other guests were visiting from other states like Vermont for their first time at the carnival.

“This is our first year,” said a group of friends, Matthew, Hope and Anna. “It’s pretty awesome so far, we came here to go sledding so we went sledding first and then we showed up here we had some hot chocolate now so can’t complain, can’t wait for the fireworks.”

This year, Darrah said they are cleared for two ice races, making this the first year since 2019 that races such as motorcycles, outhouses and four by fours could be allowed. The outhouse races on Saturday were not held on the ice, but they plan to keep an eye on the ice for the upcoming weekends.

“Right now, we’re just waiting on that ice to continue to grow and to see what we might be able to do, possibly four by four races because that’s something that’s also been a thing here in Lake George,” said Darrah. “But the ice also needs to meet those numbers.”

While some guests we spoke to said the ice racing was their favorite part, most of them said there was something magical about the fireworks.

“Mine is when the fireworks go on, I get to sit with my family and enjoy the bonfire and the fireworks,” said Vincenzo Candido. “It’s the explosion and the colors and the fire.”

 The winter carnival will be on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Jan. 31 to March 2. Anyone interested in finding out more about the activities they have planned, can visit the Facebook page, where Darrah said organizers post live updates.