The 140th St. Paul Winter Carnival is 140 days away. Here’s what to know.

Thursday marks 140 days to the 140th St. Paul Winter Carnival.

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The St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation — the nonprofit that produces the winter celebration — will lay out what’s new for the 2026 St. Paul Winter Carnival as part of its annual meeting on Thursday evening.

For now, here’s what to know about the carnival and its history.

2026 dates

The 2026 St. Paul Winter Carnival will be held from Thursday, Jan. 22, to Sunday, Feb. 1.

OG festival

The first winter festival was held in the city in 1886, a response to a New York writer describing St. Paul as “Another Siberia, unfit for human habitation in the winter.” Grover Cleveland was president, Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was new in bookstores and a stamp cost two cents.

Ice Palaces

Throughout the carnival’s history, there have been 36 Ice Palaces of varying styles and sizes (no, they’re not an annual attraction). The first Ice Palace, built in the style of a medieval castle, debuted along with the carnival in 1886; the most recent palace, of modest size and situated in Rice Park, was a popular attraction at the 2016 celebration.

Parades

Breaking tradition, the King Boreas Grande Day Parade — the daytime parade that kicks off the carnival — marched out of downtown St. Paul and onto Grand Avenue in 2024. The Vulcan Victory Torchlight Parade, the carnival’s finale, remained in downtown. Stay tuned for details on 2026’s parades.

Legend

The Winter Carnival’s cast of characters spend the 10 days of the festival playacting the battle between winter and spring — starring the royal family (representing winter) and the Vulcans (representing spring). While winter lasts a long time in Minnesota, we all know who wins in the end.

Where do canines factor into this play? A recent trend is the crowning of a canine king and queen of the St. Paul Winter Carnival and Doggie Depot, a dog-friendly event at Union Depot.

Annual meeting

The annual meeting, to be held Thursday evening at the Harriet Island Wigington Pavilion, is for members of the St. Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation. It includes dinner and drinks and RSVPs are required. More info at wintercarnival.com/event/annual-meeting-for-members-only/.

This story will be updated Friday when 2026 carnival details are available.

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