A wacky winter festival
Icebox Days, a nod to our moniker, "Icebox of the Nation," is our annual celebration staged in the middle of winter.
Events through the years have been covered by networks including CBS, NBC and ABC as well as The Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, MSNBC, Lifetime and dozens of national and international publications. A few years ago, Emmy Award-winning television journalist JuJu Chang visited with her son and producer, resulting in a feature of International Falls on the ABC program “Nightline.”
Icebox Days is packed full of fun and zany games for all people, including frozen turkey bowling; the locally invented “smoosh” races; moonlight skiing in Voyageurs National Park; the infamous “Gizzard” runs and much more.
Coordinated by the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, IceBox Days wouldn't be possible without the support of generous sponsors and dozens of volunteers.
Grab a jacket and join us in the Ice Box!
ICEBOX DAYS 2026 JANUARY 16-25
FULL LIST OF EVENTS & SPONSORS COMING SOON!
2026 Icebox Days Schedule of Events
Saturday, January 17
- 10:30 am The International Falls Public Library - with winter stories. Ages 8 and under welcome to come with their caregiver and enjoy stories, rhymes and more.
- Noon - 2 pm Board games at the library. All ages are welcome to come and enjoy playing board games with friends and family and enjoy snacks and hot cocoa.
- MN North College Pickleball Tournament 9am
Sunday January 18th
- Ice Box Days Event Duplicate Bridge Tournament (bring a partner) First Lutheran Church Doors open at 1 Tournament starts at 1:30
Monday, January 19th
AmericnInn by Wyndham Beach Party
Saturday, January 24
· FEF Pancake Breakfast 8-11am @ Backus
· 8:00–9:30 AM – Pre-registration for Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard 5K/10K Run @ Backus Community Center
· 9:00 AM – Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard 5K Run Starts
· 10:00 AM – Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard 10K Run Starts
· 11:00 AM – Signup for Dart Tourney @ Border Bar
· 11:30 AM – Freeze Yer Gizzard Race Awards @ Backus
· 12:00–1:30 PM – Turkey Bowling (Adults/Kids) @ Timber Pins
· 12:00–1:30 PM – Toilet Seat Toss (Adults/Kids) @ Timber Pins
· 1:00 PM – Finals: Dart Tourney @ Border Bar Sponsored by Hazelwood Corp.
· 1:30–3:00 PM – Smoosh Races (Adults/Kids) @ Timber Pins
· 6:00 PM – FIREWORKS @ Smokey Bear Park
