FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I get a York Ice Trail map? 
Free trail maps will be available from the Visitor Information Centre on Parliament Street or can be downloaded online prior to the event. 

Do I need a ticket? 
No tickets or pre-booking needed, York Ice Trail is a free event. 

What are the opening times? 
The trail starts at 10.30am and runs through to approximately 4.00pm, weather dependent. 

Prior to the trail starting, sculptures will be dropped across the city and are unwrapped as close to the start time as possible to preserve them. 

How do I find the sculptures? 

Each year we create a map to help you locate (and tick off) the ice sculptures on the trail. The map is released in the two weeks prior to the event. You can download this map online or pick up in person from the Visitor Information Centre. 

In addition, we also plot all locations onto an online, interactive map and provide the what3words locations for each sculpture on the sculpture information page. 

I have accessibility needs and would like to attend the York Ice Trail, how can I find out more about planning my visit? 

Make It York is proud to organise many free events and festivals throughout the year for residents and visitors to enjoy. We are committed to ensuring that everyone can participate, with access requirements in place to support with additional needs. You 

Who makes the ice sculptures? 

UK and Europe’s leading ice specialists, Icebox will design and create all the sculptures for the 2026 trail for the fifth year working closely with Make It York. 

Aren’t the sculptures just molded? 

Each of our sculptures are carefully designed with our event sponsors and hand carved in the Icebox workshop. See how the sculptures are made for yourself by watching the live carving on St Sampson's Square during York Ice Trail. 

What time is the Live Carving?  

The Live Carving starts at 12.00pm on the designated carving zone. You should be able to find the area on St Sampson's Square (the large barrier circle) with carving beginning at midday. You can watch Icebox carvers work their magic in bringing a sculpture to life, from sketch to sculpture. For our full live carving guide, please visit see the FAQs here.

Will the sculptures have melted on day two? 
Each sculpture on the trail has a duplicate replacement on our second day, so whether you visit on Saturday or Sunday the sculptures will be as fresh as possible. 

Why do some sculptures get removed during the day? 
York Ice Trail is populated with ice sculptures that are not immune to the elements. On a particularly wet, windy or even sunny day the ice will melt faster. We do our best to preserve sculptures as long as possible, but sometimes they need to be removed for the safety of our visitors. In some instances, sculptures may also get damaged and need to be removed as a result so please refrain from touching the sculptures. 

If a sculpture is removed a sign will be placed in its location and updates issued on social media (so keep an eye on our social channels throughout the event) 

Why do the sculptures not have barriers round them? 

York Ice Trail is a free interactive event for all. The magic of York Ice Trail is being able to get up close with the ice creations. We urge attendees to be considerate of people taking photos of sculptures. 

There may be locations in high density areas that require barriers to protect sculptures, which is assessed by the event team in the pre planning stages of the event. We will endeavor to keep sculptures open to exploration and not barriered off where possible. 

Why are the sculptures low to the ground? It makes it hard to take photos 

We would love to put all our sculptures on a platform and display them with pride however, keeping them on floor based plinths is necessary for Health and Safety reasons. Should a sculpture fall it could cause injury. Make It York works with Icebox to mitigate such risks by keeping sculptures on the ground as far as possible and monitoring continuously for those melting faster than others and breakages.  

Why are the sculptures so spread out? 

York Ice Trail is a hugely popular event and part of the adventure is exploring the city itself as well as searching for the spectacular ice sculptures. Sculptures are sited in consultation with the respective sponsors. 

At most sculptures are 10 minutes' walk from one another if you follow the designated trail order. 

The York Ice Trail Live Carving is undertaken by expert carvers from Icebox. Carvers are experienced and trained in what they do. Rest assured that this element of the event is in professional (and highly skilled) ice carving hands.  

Where can we see the Live Carving?  

The Live Carving can be found on St Sampson's Square. You should be able to find the area (the large barrier circle) with carving beginning at midday. 

What will the design be?  

Each year we work with our Ice company to create a theme fitting, exciting design in the past we’ve had York Minster, a Mammoth, a tree of life and a giant telescope. This years design is sure to tick the theme of an ‘Enchanted City’ and you’ll be able to see the design sketches displayed around the area. Really watching that design come to life.  

How long does the Live Carving take?  

You can expect to see the finished carving by 3pm so if the initial crowd is a little busy, you have plenty of time to explore the Ice Trail more and head back to see those finishing touches being added. 

Is carving ice dangerous?  

There is always a risk of injury with any live performance involving cutting equipment. However, Icebox has over 25 years of experience in delivering live carving demonstrations. Carvers are professional, following carefully considered health and safety measures to ensure a safe demonstration is delivered.  

Should the carver be wearing eye and ear protection along with protective clothing?  

Eye protection can pose more risk with a lack of visibility for the carver from ice and water build up whilst carving.  

Ear protection will be used when the chainsaw is in operation, however, this only equates to 10% of the live carving performance. 

The carver will be wearing chainsaw trousers alongside a protective top as standard.  

Is a chainsaw safe to use with the water involved in carving ice sculptures?  

The chainsaw being used in the York Ice Trail Live Carving is a battery operated chainsaw that is IPX4 certified. Ice carving with chainsaws is common practice and utilised by sculpture companies globally.  

The carver will also be using Die Grinders as part of the Live Carving performance.