FAQs

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.

Who makes the Ice Sculptures?

UK and Europe’s leading ice specialists, Icebox will design and create all the sculptures for the 2025 trail for the fourth 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 at St Sampson’s Square during York Ice Trail.

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.

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.

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.

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 can view our accessibility guide here.

Which of the sculptures are interactive / fun for families / selfies

All of the interactive sculptures are marked with a camera on the trail map as a photo opportunity so should be easy to find on the trail.

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.

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.

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.