York Ice Trail 5 March 2022 milner Creative 05 1

Go on ‘A Journey Through Time’ at York Ice Trail 2023

York Ice Trail organisers, Make It York, are pleased to announce that plans are underway for the family-favourite event to return to the city in February 2023.

The theme for York Ice Trail 2023 will invite people to time travel to prehistoric ages, walk through history and step into the future for ‘A Journey Through Time’.

The last York Ice Trail took place in March 2022 and was a huge success, following a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Over 40 ice sculptures lined the streets of York over the weekend, with an estimated 25,000 people participating in the trail. Research commissioned with Qa Research showed that 94% of participants would recommend the trail to family and friends.*

The free trail also had a positive impact on businesses in the city, with 81% of participants eating out or drinking in the city’s restaurants, cafes and bars. Plus, more than 50% were likely to go shopping or visit an attraction.

Post-pandemic, York Ice Trail appealed to more residents than pre-pandemic in 2020. The proportion of residents visiting York Ice Trail in 2022 increased to 39%, compared with 23% in February 2020.

York Ice Trail 2023 will once again see the ‘coolest’ sculptures around the city, all sponsored and concepted by local businesses. UK and Europe’s leading ice specialists, Icebox will design and create all the sculptures for the 2023 trail for the second year.

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director at Make It York, said: “York Ice Trail is one of the best-loved events in the city and we’re so excited to planning our next trail in February 2023. It’s a huge celebration of our city and a great opportunity for businesses to come together to support. The concept for next year’s trail will inspire the imagination with ‘A Journey Through Time’, transporting visitors across time and dimension!”

Greg Pittard, Managing Director at Icebox, said: “We are thrilled to be returning to York for the second year in a row as the sculptors for the 2023 Ice Trail! The York Ice Trail is by far one of the ‘coolest’ events we have been a part of, and we have a busy few months in the freezer ahead as we begin carving for this year’s theme. Thank you to Make It York and all the amazing businesses across the city for trusting us and making this event possible!”

For more information, visit York Ice Trail | Visit York #YorkIceTrail

*Research based on a survey of 393 visitors

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Sarah Foster, Communications Manager at Make It York

Comms@makeityork.com

Notes to Editors

York Ice Trail 2023 will return on 4th and 5th February. York Ice Trail is a Make It York event.

About Make It York

Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally - as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities.

These are: