City of La Porte brings annual blizzard bash to downtown La Porte for Winterfest 2026

It’s the coldest time of the year, which makes many residents of La Porte excited for one of the biggest annual blizzard bashes in Northwest Indiana. The City of La Porte welcomed everyone to its annual Winterfest celebration to participate in a slate of activities that spotlight the best parts of the winter season.

The City of La Porte Winterfest started its frigid festivities on Friday, January 23. While the wind chills have resulted in a couple of events being rescheduled, residents of Northwest Indiana were able to come on opening day to witness ice sculptors turn blocks of ice into one-of-a-kind creations. Winterfest attendees were also able to shop and check out everything that downtown La Porte had to offer.

This event has something for everyone to enjoy, including those who might not be a big fan of the low temperatures.

“The whole point of winter fest is giving the community something to do,” said Evan Miller, Recreation Director of the City of La Porte. “When the weather turns cold and there’s not a whole lot to do, we like to incorporate a lot of events for different ages. We have themed free skates for kids, and we have a Wii bowling event catered towards the young people. We have a line dancing event that’s catered towards all ages. There’s a little bit of something for everybody to do.”

Saturday, January 24, included a heavy slate of events. People could try their hand at events such as Sewing 101 with Steady Stitchers, Winterfest County Line Dancing, and Family Wii Bowling. On Sunday, January 25, the fun continued with the Family Jump-A-Thon.

“This line dancing event is a first for us, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback on it,” said Miller. “We also have pond hockey, which is something that’s been done in the past, but the people putting it on are really passionate about it, and we’ve gotten a lot of good feedback for that as well, and that’ll be out on Clear Lake this next Saturday night.”

For many years, Winterfest has been a one-weekend celebration in La Porte County. Due to the weather, events such as the Horse Drawn Wagon Rides, Winterfest Pond Hockey, and the Snowball Softball Co-Ed Tournament have been rescheduled.

While rescheduling might take a lot of extra work, there’s plenty of excitement for the City of La Porte, having the fun of Winterfest stick around for a bit longer.

“I like to try to see the bright side and things,” said Miller. “The weather is something we can’t control, but the cold extends the Winterfest another week, and makes the fun times last a little longer with those outdoor events being postponed. I look at it as an upside to the situation.”

While the City of La Porte faced some additional challenges with this year’s Winterfest celebration, it’s all about bringing the best opportunities possible to members of the community.

“They really have a heart for respecting the land and the lakes, and the types of different people that come together around Lake life,” said Sarah Bruce, an attendee of the event. “This is just another fun way to honor that and to celebrate being together and to build community in our special city.”

The Ice Fishing Derby for this year’s Winterfest was canceled. However, the City of La Porte is hopeful that this event will be able to take place at next year’s event, along with some more unique activities.

Make sure to stop by Winterfest on Sunday, January 25, and take part in the Family Jump-A-Thon. The party will pick up again on Saturday, January 31, as people can participate in the Horse Drawn Wagon Rides, Winterfest Pond Hockey, and the Snowball Softball Co-Ed Tournament. Check out the City of La Porte Park and Recreation Department on Facebook for the latest updates on Winterfest.

“I think this is a really great community, and La Porte has a lot to offer,” said Bruce. “The more that our city can come together around events like this and really find our identity, the stronger and more tight knit of a place and community we will be.”

For more information on the City of La Porte, you can visit cityoflaporte.com.