The Winter Carnival here is the fourth best in the world, according to National Geographic Traveler magazine. Saint Paul’s annual event earned the No. 4 spot on National Geographic Traveler’s list of the top 10 winter carnivals.
Anchorage, Alaska’s was ranked number one in the bimonthly magazine’s January/February 2012 issue. The Saint Paul Winter Carnival beat out three Canadian festivals: the Bon Soo Winter Carnival in Sault St. Marie, Ontario; Winterlude in Ottawa, Ontario; and The Quebec Winter Carnival in Montreal.
Other carnivals finishing in the top 10 include those in Sapporo, Japan; Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Saranac Lake, New York; Whitefish, Montana; and at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
The magazine states that our hometown event was “allegedly irked by a reporter’s dismissal of Saint Paul as ‘another Siberia’” and that “more than a century later, locals and visitors still gather at the Winter Carnival to march in torch-lit parades, run half-marathons, and admire detailed ice sculptures.”
“We are delighted that National Geographic Traveler chose to give us such a high ranking,” says Beth Pinkney, president and CEO of the Saint Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation which manages and produces the annual event. “So many people – from the hundreds of volunteers to sponsors to staff – have invested their time and support in the Saint Paul Winter Carnival these past 125-plus years. We’re grateful to them all and this prominent publication for our high ranking.”
The 126th Saint Paul Winter Carnival will be held January 26 – February 5, 2012. Since 1886, the “Coolest Celebration on Earth™” continues to bring family-friendly events and community pride to Saint Paul and the Twin Cities metro area.
For details and the most up-to-date event information, please visit www.winter-carnival.com.