St. Cloud’s Bold + Bright Winter Festival Returns This Weekend with Pond Hockey, Comedy, Mac & Cheese Crawl, and New Toboggan Derby

(KNSI) – St. Cloud’s Bold & Bright Winter Festival returns this Friday, running through Sunday, with an expanded lineup of events celebrating winter.

The festival launches Friday with the three-day pond hockey tournament at Lake George serving as the festival’s centerpiece. Friday evening kicks into high gear with a comedy crawl featuring shows at six downtown venues. Most performances are free, starting at the top of each hour, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at B-Side Indie Music Cafe. Each show runs 90 minutes with an MC and three comedians performing 15-minute sets.

Free shows continue at 6:00 p.m. at the Pickled Loon, 7:00 p.m. at Iron Street Distillery, 8:00 p.m. at Arroy Thai and Filipino Restaurant, and 10:30 p.m. for Open Mic Night at the Keller Bar. A ticketed performance hosted by Adrian Washington at the Red Carpet costs $15, available online or at the door.

Saturday’s festivities begin at sunrise with curling and more pond hockey.

A Mac and Cheese Crawl runs from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with $30 passes allowing attendees to sample creative takes on the classic dish at 10 participating restaurants. Entries range from traditional comfort food to unique variations, including Irish-style mac and cheese from Old Brick House and Pad Thai-inspired versions from Arroy Thai.

A winter market at the Red Carpet Event Center from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. showcases local bakers, makers, and artisans.

The toboggan derby debuts this year at 6:00 p.m. on West St. Germain Street. Teams of three will race human-powered sleds-anything from traditional toboggans to recliners on skis-with youth and adult divisions competing for fastest time and most creative design. Pre-registration and liability waivers are required for participants.

Saturday concludes with the Winter Nights and Lights Parade at 7:30 p.m., running down West St. Germain between 9th and 5th Avenues. Floats compete for $75 prizes in three categories. Fireworks launch at 8:30 p.m. at Lake George.

The Pioneer Place, Paramount Center for the Arts, and Gnarly Bard will host performances throughout the weekend.

The festival wraps up Sunday with the final day of pond hockey and the last of three weekend performances of Rock of Ages at the Paramount Center for the Arts.

Rachel Thompson, Events Committee Leader for the St. Cloud Downtown Alliance and Executive Director of Visit Greater St. Cloud, emphasized the festival’s mission to embrace Minnesota winter rather than hide from it.

A full schedule is available by clicking here.

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