St. Paul Winter Carnival forges ahead with socially distanced changes

The 2021 St. Paul Winter Carnival will be unlike any edition seen in the festival’s 135-year history thanks to the coronavirus.

Organizers announced what they call "Traditions With a Twist" to accommodate socially distanced festivities while the coronavirus pandemic is still a public health concern. That means there won’t be parades or events in Rice Park because of crowd size restrictions.

The popular ice carving competition is moving out of downtown and over to the Minnesota State Fair Grounds to allow for more space and for a drive-thru experience. It will be combined with the snow sculpture contest and will be open each day of the Winter Carnival.

A full event list is available online.The Winter Carnival will run from Jan. 28 to Feb. 7.