Preparations are in full swing for the 2025 Winter Festival in Mayville, NY set to take place over Presidents’ Day weekend.

The event, previously hosted by the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, is now being organized by local businesses and the nonprofit Inspire Good of Western New York, Inc. after the Chamber stepped down due to insurance issues.  
 
One of the main attractions of the festival is the large ice castle, constructed using ice cut from Chautauqua Lake.

For weeks, local businesses, community members, and students from Erie2 Chautauqua Cattaraugus BOCES (E2CCB) have been working together to build what organizers say is the largest ice castle yet.  
 
“We are putting the finishing touches on the ice castle," stated Chris Hy, Teacher of Career Education at E2CCB. "We started approximately three weeks ago and almost 2,000 blocks ago."

"We haven't had the weather for a while to have the castle," added Greyson Lewis, Student at E2CCB. "So, it's really good to be able to bring it back to the community and give everyone something fun to focus on in the winter."
 
"There was a tremendous amount of support from all the local businesses, once we got the news about the Chamber," Nick Andriaccio, Owner of Andriaccio's Restaurant said. "I have been involved with building the ice castle for years now, this festival is such an important thing for this area, it brings in a lot of visitors. The weather is perfect this year too, so it's a really great feeling to have all of this community support and effort."
 
"It is really cool, we haven't had a winter like this in a while, so to do this and share it with the community is honestly a special thing," commented Payton Daniels, Student at E2CCB.
 
In addition to the ice castle, the festival will feature live music, family-friendly activities, and a fireworks display. While organizers acknowledge the event may be smaller than in previous years, they remain committed to delivering a memorable experience for visitors.  
 
The 2025 Winter Festival will take place over Presidents’ Day weekend, February 14th through the 16th. For more information, visit here.