OAKLAND COUNTY (WWJ) - Detroit's annual winter festival kicked off in its new location on Friday, with a ceremonial ice ribbon cutting to mark to official start of Winter Blast in downtown Royal Oak.
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Event organizers, city officials and sponsors gathered Friday afternoon in Centennial Park -- near the Royal Oak farmers market just past the downtown area -- to launch the event which runs now through Sunday, Feb. 20 after being postponed at the beginning of the month due to COVID-19 surges in the state.
The festival-- which struggled to find sponsorship in Detroit -- moved to moved to the suburbs in 2022 after spending the last 16 years at Campus Martius.
Royal Oak Mayor Michael Fournier said the city was excited to host the event and hopes to keep the magical of the festival alive.
"It really fits well with what we already have going on in Royal Oak every weekend," said Fournier said to The Detroit News.
"Really, you can just come to Royal Oak and enjoy everything that downtown has to offer and everything that the festival has to offer pretty conveniently."
Festival goers can experience a winter slide, a snow hill, polar plunge, food trucks, live entertainment and much more.
Heating and marshmallow roasting stations, sponsored by DTE Energy and The Detroit News, will be set up around the park to provide warmth in the chilly weather.
The festival added a new zipline this year as is additional feature, which will fly riders through Centennial Park in the city's downtown area.
Royal Oak's first outdoor ice rink will also open with $10 skate rental for adults and $5 for kids.
"Certainly with everything that's been going on, it's a great opportunity for all of us, including all of our neighbors to come back and celebrate one of the important seasons we have in Michigan," said Fournier.
"Be outside, and see each other and really start to get back to the mode of celebrating each other. We're happy we can play a part in not just keeping this festival alive, but helping it thrive."
Event hours run until 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19 and Sunday, Feb. 20, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free to the public and the first two hours of parking are also free.
Get all the details about the event at this link.
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