I hope you love the music, art, film, and fashion of the 80s. The Awesome 80’s was the theme of the 15th annual Ice Sculpture Festival in Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood on February 8 and 9 weekend. It’s a family-friendly event and admission is free.
Over 70,000 lbs. of crystal-clear ice were carved into magnificent sculptures inspired by the music, art, film and fashion of an awesome decade. All things 80’s are retro-cool again! I’m sharing some of the ice sculptures on display at the festival.
The Main Ice Exhibition included an 80’s sculpture, a Boombox, an Elton John silhouette, Converse sneaker, Madonna – Desperately Seeking Susan, Leg Warmers & Heels, Andy Warhol, a Roller Skate and Eddie Van Halen.
The Back to the Future sculpture was in the Photo Opportunity area for many photos and Instagram moments.
The Terry Fox Run Walk Wheel Ride sculpture was #1 winner of the ice carving competition.
Number 5 (not Wall-E) and Van Halen’s The Flying V Guitar sculptures were #2 and # 3 winners of the ice carving competition.
I loved the colourful Icefest Lounge where visitors could take a break while listening to the curated selection of songs from the 80s. It made a huge difference when professional DJs played live.
February is Heart month so volunteers from the Heart and Stroke Foundation were at Icefest. For a donation of $2, visitors could sample tasty maple syrup taffy or play vintage arcade games, including Pacman, at the Icefest Arcade Tent.
There were about thirty-five sculptures and I took photos of all of them. Just in case you don’t like the 80s, I share just a few in this post. I love the 80s!
What about you? Do you love the 80s?
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Natalie the Explorer 
How brilliant, Natalie! I’m a child of the 80s. These ice sculptures brought back many happy memories for me.
SSG xxx
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That’s great. I’m glad you enjoyed the ice sculptures, SSG.
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Fantastic!
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Thank you, Jody, for your visit and comment. I greatly appreciate it.
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Well I was only around for part of the 80s 🙂 But I’m sure that means it influenced a lot of me.
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It’s nice to be young 🙂 I like a number of movies and songs from the 80s. Thanks, Vanessa, for stopping by.
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I graduated from high school in the early 80s, so yes…I loved it! Great post, Natalie. Thanks for sharing your amazing photos!
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Hi Jill, I think high school graduation is a big milestone, both for completing years of education and entry to adulthood. It’s a memorable time for sure. I’m glad you liked my photos.
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So hard to capture ice sculptures well, Natalie. It’s beyond me how they can make such incredible stuff out of ice. 🙂 🙂
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Hi Jo, The ice carvers who entered the competition at the festival showed amazing motor skills and artistry. They also worked in very cold temperatures that weekend, especially on the Saturday. I greatly appreciated their ice sculptures.
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What fantastic ice sculptures, Natalie. I’ve never been a fan of the movie ‘Back to the Future’, but I sure do like the ice sculpture of the car. As somebody who has lots of wonderful memories of the music and life in 1980s London, the 80s will always be special to me. I’m visiting from #Senisal.
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Thank you, Hugh, for your visit and comment. So much great music from the 80s with many world-famous musicians performed in London, or came from the UK. The live DJs at the ice festival played non-stop music from the 80s and it was fabulous.
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You would not have got me off that dancefloor with all that 80s music playing, Natalie. I used to be a DJ in London in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I sold my record collection a few years ago. It was sad to see it all go, but now I can stream music, I’ve lots more space to fill.
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Wow, Hugh, your parties must be so much fun and you must know so many songs. I was tapping my feet and stayed at the ice festival longer than intended thanks to the music. People started dancing, too.
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I loved the 80s, leg warmers, amazing music, my fav movie (Footloose) and some pretty good times. Those ice sculptures are incredible. Thanks for sharing. Justine via #60 Senisal
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Thank you, Justine, for your visit and comment. I’m glad you liked the ice sculptures. Like you, I love so many songs and movies from the 80s.
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Those ice sculptures are eye-popping! Thanks for sharing the photos. we have a Fire and Ice festival in the town where I live. Over 70 ice sculptures are displayed on the streets and there are lots of other things going on around town.
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The Fire and Ice festival sounds interesting. I like these festivals as they give local fun during the winter.
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These ice sculptures are amazing Natalie. As someone who definitely lived the 80s, they brought back so many memories. I would never have thought it possible to sculpt the Back to the Future car in ice. It’s incredible #lifethisweek Shared
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They also had amazing sculptures for other movies in the 80s like E.T., Splash, Transformers, etc. It was a very nice festival.
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Very fun! I lived through the 80s but I can’t say I miss much of what was popular then (leg warmers with heels… what were they thinking???). Here in SoCal we have sand sculptures 🙂 I guess ice sculptures wouldn’t last very long.
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Leg warmers with heels are eye-catching and they stay in our memory 🙂 You have near perfect weather year-round. I dream about it during the winter season here.
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Hi Natalie, We have family with young children living in Toronto area and I am always amazed at many family-friendly free activities. I cannot imagine the effort to make these intricate and creative ice sculptures. Your photos are a huge, wow factor! My life in the 80’s was very young children and going back to school. A blur. Great post, as always!
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Hi Erica/ Erika, Young children and going back to school must take up all your time and energy in the 80’s. We’re fortunate to have many family-friendly and free activities in Toronto. I always look forward to this Ice sculpture festival for its quality. The first day of the festival this year, it was frigid cold, yet the ice sculptors were out there carving. Fortunately, it was back to normal winter temperatures on the second day. Thank you for your encouragement and comment.
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How cool, pardon the pun! My favourite 80’s movie would have to be Girls Just Want to have Fun.
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Thank you, Anne, for your visit and comment. So many good movies in the 80s. I liked E.T. a lot and they had an E.T. ice sculpture at the festival.
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Not a fan of the 80’s at all but I do love ice sculptures. It’s such an art!
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Yes, ice sculpture is an art. Thanks, Lydia, for stopping by.
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Yes!! This is brilliant Natalie 🙂
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I’m glad you love the 80s and the ice sculptures 🙂 Thanks, Deb, for stopping by.
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Some day I would like to see ice sculpture and sand sculpture in person. These pieces represent such varied themes. At my mom’s retirement complex, they used to have lovely ice sculptures for special events but the place has really gone downhill and I am afraid that has fallen off. She’s lucky to get a square meal much less an ice sculpture.
Thank you for sharing with those of us who live in warmer climes. Delightful.
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You’re welcome, Leslie. Even though I see snow and ice in the winter every year, I look forward to this ice sculpture festival for its quality. Perhaps you can add “See ice sculpture in person” to your bucket list. I hope your Mom’s retirement complex improves their services soon.
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How cool is this? (No pun intended). As an aside, I’m a fan of the 80s – although music more than movies, probably…
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I like many songs in the 80s, too. The live DJs at this festival were fantastic.
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Wow! What a treat! That looked amazing. Very talented sculptors😁👌
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Thank you, Michele, for your visit and comment. These ice sculptors compete internationally and they’re quite good at what they do.
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Hi, Natalie – What fun! I do love the 80’s! Your post has brought back wonderful memories.
The scultptures are brilliant…and the chance to have maple syrup taffy and play a vintage game of pacman — that is simply perfect! #MLSTL
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Hi Donna, I love the 80s, too. This is a fun festival that I look forward to attending every winter. Thank you for stopping by.
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An awesome return to the 80’s!! Great photos of the wonderful skill of the ice sculptors.
Thanks for linking up at ‘My Corner of the World’ this week!
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Thank you, Betty, for hosting and for your comment. I’m glad you liked my photos.
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Hi Natalie – all I can say is WOW!! and more WOW!! It must be amazing to live in a place where ice sculpting is a “thing” – the closest we get in Australia is sand scuptures! They all look unreal and are so clever – I’m always inspired and awed by creativity on this scale.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 😊
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Hi Leanne, Thank you for hosting MLSTL and sharing. We have plenty of ice and snow in the winter so we make something nice and fun out of both 🙂 This ice sculpture festival has a unique theme every year. I’ve been impressed with what they’ve come up with.
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That is so cool and I love the 80’s. Love all the work done there. Very nice. Thanks for sharing this. #MLSTL
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Thank you, Patrick, for your comment. I’m glad you loved the ice sculptures and the 80’s.
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I was a teenager in the 80’s and I loved it! We had the best decade to come of age with great music, heaps of new technology and before any of the social media etc. Great article
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Thank you, Christina, for your visit and comment. I’m glad you also loved the 80’s. I like the great music from that decade.
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The 80s were pretty good times. Those ice sculptures are incredible!
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Thank you, Veronica, for your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the 80s and the ice sculptures.
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Fantastic! i love this photos!!!
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Thanks, Elke, for your comment. I’m glad you liked my photos.
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I loved the ice sculptures! The 80’s were so nutty: Huge shoulder pads, mom jeans, nutty hair… Very theatrical and I think I’m enjoying now more! 🙂
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Thank you, Marguerite, for your visit and comment. Theatrical is a good description of the 80’s fashion scene. I’m glad you liked these ice sculptures.
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Hi Natalie, what fabulous ice sculptures? I love them all but my favourite has to be the guitar. Thanks for sharing this wonderful exhibit and yes I’m an 80s fan although I go further back to the 70s for my music. Have a great week. #MLSTL
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Hi Sue, The guitar ice sculpture was beautiful. The artist had a picture of the guitar from a magazine and used it to carve the ice. Have a wonderful week!
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How awesome is this?! I was born in the 80s and probably became more aware of things only in the 90s.
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I’m glad you liked the ice sculptures, Sanch. Thank you for stopping by.
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I was a teenager in the eighties so you would think I was a fan… but its my 25 year old who is crazy about it!! She loved the era so much that it was the theme for her 21st birthday!
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Your daughter has good taste in the arts 🙂 Choosing the 80s for her 21st birthday theme is an awesome idea. Thank you, Kerrie, for stopping by.
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I do love the 80s. Cool sculpture. Quick correction – the “robot” is Number 5 from the movie “Short Circuit”, with the line “Number 5 is alive!”, not Wall-E.
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Thank you, Trent, for your visit and comment. Correction made. How could I get Number 5 and Wall-E mix up? Got to see Short Circuit again 🙂
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I have not thought of that movie in ages… Obviously Wall-E was at the very least influenced by Number 5.
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Your memory is excellent. Wall-E is boxy and shorter but the rolling feet look similar to Number 5.
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ice sculptures are beautiful and fun
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Agreed. I’ll post a few more ice sculpture photos in my next post. Thank you, Carol, for stopping by.
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Fantastic ice sculptures and a great concept, but no – not a fan of the music of the ’80s by and large I have to say, with a few exceptions.
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Thank you, Christine, for your comment. I’m glad you liked the ice sculptures. I’ll share some more photos in my next post.
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How cool – literally! Ice sculptures amaze me. My memories of the 1980s were about fluro coloured clothes..and being a young full time teaching Mum to a mid teen and one who was about to turn 8.
Thank you for linking up for Life This Week. Next week’s optional prompt is Taking Stock. Using words of your own or ones from other bloggers as prompts is cool. Hope to see you there: 2 March 2020. Denyse.
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The 80s must be a very busy time for you with your full time job and a young family. Thank you, Denyse, for hosting. I look forward to joining you next week.
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Loved the ice sculptures. I lived through the 80s…when I was in my 30s and I don’t remember too much about it, so this was a blast from the past. Always love ice sculptures, I lived for 6 years in the upper Upper Peninsula, where in February Michigan Tech did a winter festival complete with huge snow sculptures. It was always the highlight of a very long winter. I think there’s an ice sculpture festival in a town near me…but I have never been because I’m older now and it’s in the winter. Which is cold. 🙂
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Thank you, Dawn, for your visit and comment. Michigan winters are similar to ours. I find it interesting to watch the carving process, from a big block of ice to an art form. I always look forward to attending this festival for its quality and winter fun. I’ll visit your blog shortly.
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Natalie, those sculptures are amazing. Wow. February is a much better month for them. How interesting that you got to watch them being carved. Did you take pictures of the process. Were most of the artists local or did they come from all over? Super, super cool! (literally!)
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Marsha, I took some photos of the carvers at work. They started from big blocks of ice and used various tools to carve them into art forms. Most, if not all, of the artists were from various provinces in Canada.
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Natalie, I think I saw a post years ago in Asia somewhere. That’s why I thought the artists might come from all over. 🙂
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Marsha, Some of the ice festivals have big prizes that attract international ice sculptors. I think there were one or two ice festivals that I attended where they had ice sculptors from Canada, the USA and Europe.
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