With nearly turquoise water and mountain views, Alberta’s Lake Louise is a truly breathtaking spot any time of year. Winter brings an added touch of magic to the lake with the annual Lake Louise ice festival. You’ll feel like you’re in a real-life winter wonderland as you take in all the icy fest has to offer. The Lake Louise Ice Magic Festival is your chance to catch magical ice sculptures including castles so large you can walk through them. Plus, there are dozens of other icy masterpieces created by sculptors who you can watch working with ice and chainsaws. You’ll see simple blocks of ice transform into crazy dragons, beautiful castles, and other magical experiences. There’s even a bar made entirely of ice where you can grab a drink. If you’re looking for the perfect date night, or just need things to do close to Calgary, be sure to add the Ice Magic Festival to your winter bucket list. While you're in Banff, you can check out all the places that tourists don't know about yet. Each year of the festival comes with a new theme the artists have to work with. Though this year’s theme has not yet been announced, you can bet it will be just as epic as years past. And the best part? Depending on which day you attend you might even get in for free. View this post on Instagram We were excited to be in Lake Louise during the #IceMagic festival this year! There were some seriously amazing ice sculptures. We went around and looked at them all and casted our votes for the people’s choice award, swipe to see the sculpture I voted for 😱 it was SO good! Seriously the pics don’t even do it justice. That’s the sculpture that ended up winning too. ❄️ What do you think?? A post shared by Erin Elizabeth Lifestyle Blog (@erinelizabethh) on Jan 23, 2019 at 7:42am PST View this post on Instagram So many people watched me take this . . . #lakelouise #icebar #bluehair #chateaulakelouise #fairmont #travelalberta #spikedhotchocolate #icesculpture #icemagicfestival A post shared by Julie (@jm.mccuaig) on Feb 2, 2019 at 2:05pm PST In the evening, the sculptures take on a whole new look as they light up the night. The carvings sit in front of the Chateau Laurier. The hotel keeps the sculptures illuminated for as long as they stay intact. This is one of the most surreal sights in Alberta. View this post on Instagram Colon Muir at Lake Louise --- REPOST: @colandovision chosen by @tracyleephotos --- Night Sky Chasers Admin: @tracyleephotos --- #nightskychasers to be featured or post on Fb.com/groups/nightskychasers. Tag a friend who might enjoy this Night Sky image and journey! --- From Colin about this image: ・・・ You can find some amazing ice sculptures at Lake Louise right now, this being the 1st place winner at this years Ice Magic Festival. A world class ice carving event that happens each year. Cant think of a more magical backdrop for such an amazing piece of art! #travelalberta #explorebanff #tourcanada #explorecanada #livelovecanada #canada #canadaparadise #imagesofcanada #unlimitedcanada #mybanff #earth_shotz #earthfocus #earthpix #nightscaper #nightphotography_exclusive #longexpo_addiction #creativecontentbuilders #dailyviewalberta #lensbible #visualsofearth #visualambassadors #enterimagination #photoshop #lakelouise #icemagicfestival #banffnationalpark A post shared by Night Sky Chasers (@nightskychasers) on Feb 12, 2019 at 6:41pm PST View this post on Instagram ice magic #icemagicfestival A post shared by Kenz McAdams (@_kenziemcadams) on Jan 24, 2019 at 5:09pm PST General admission is $13 but depending on when you attend you might be able to see the festival for free. If you're feeling fancy and want to take in multiple festival days, you could even book a room at the Chateau Laurier, in which case your festival admission is included in the stay. View this post on Instagram Such incredible talent displayed @fairmontcll for the #icemagicfestival2017 ❄️ #mybetter #carnivores #atmo107 #myalberta A post shared by Tarawildfong (@tarawildfong) on Jan 29, 2017 at 5:25pm PST View this post on Instagram You can call me Queen Elsa. A post shared by Shae (@shaelynnbrown) on Feb 6, 2016 at 7:32pm PST Ice Magic Festival Price: $13 When: January 15 to January 26, 2020 Address: Lake Louise, AB Why You Need To Go: You can watch live ice carvings and explore a magical ice castle on beautiful Lake Louise. Website There are stories everywhere. If you spot a newsworthy event in your city, send us a message, photo, or video @NarcityCanada on Twitter and Instagram.