Imagine a freezing city in the dead of winter. But instead of people tucked away inside and events and gatherings canceled until the snow melts, the city brings life to the coldest season of the year by throwing parties around fire pits, holding outdoor concerts under twinkle lights, and encouraging its residents and visitors to get outside on ice skates, bikes, and聽cross-country skis. These cities around the world celebrate the chillier months in a big way, proving that frigid weather doesn鈥檛 have to mean being shut in.
Denver, Colorado
From downtown Denver, you can see the snowcapped Rocky Mountains towering on the horizon to the west. A love of winter runs deep here. From held outdoors at Red Rocks Amphitheater to a in February, there鈥檚 no shortage of things to be excited about during the colder months. To get people exploring downtown during the season, the city sets up a two-mile , plus , with prizes for those who successfully make their way around Denver鈥檚 art, landmarks, and history.
, a hip zone that opened in Denver鈥檚 LoDo neighborhood in 2017, was designed to be utilized year-round, with heaters, lights, and patio dining. This year the block is hosting an every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a February Mardi Gras celebration. The block鈥檚 boutique 172-room (from $154) has a Snowed In package that includes cookies and hot cocoa with your stay. Or head to the renovated , the historic train depot that鈥檚 now full of caf茅s and shops, where you can ride a from downtown straight to the slopes of the 鈥攕lated to launch on weekends in early January and run through late March.
搁别测办箩补惫铆办, Iceland
This close to the Arctic Circle, there鈥檚 very little daylight at the height of winter (less than four hours of sun on the shortest day of the year), but Iceland鈥檚 capital city makes up for the darkness with ample聽festivities. A free-to-access pops up each winter in a downtown square, the festival celebrates contemporary music in January, and a brightens up the streets in February. To honor the Norse god Thor, some 搁别测办箩补惫铆办 restaurants host Thorrablot, a midwinter feast with traditional foods to celebrate the season.
Indoor food halls are a fun way to dine on street fare in a warmer setting than the street itself: what used to be the city鈥檚 bus terminal is now the indoor , and a former fish factory in the old harbor district is now the nine-vendor . Want to be outside? Go soak in one of the city鈥檚 many year-round geothermally heated pools鈥攖here鈥檚 even a free-to-access sandy geothermal beach at . The (from $183) rents cruiser bikes for exploring downtown all winter long.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
The college town of Cambridge gets plenty of winter storms鈥攖he Boston area averages around 50 inches of snow annually鈥攂ut that doesn鈥檛 mean residents stay inside when the weather turns cold. This is the city that refuses to close its farmers鈥 market just because it鈥檚 icy. The popular , held on Saturdays from January to April, will return to the gym at the Cambridge Community Center this year, with vendors selling local produce, seafood, and baked goods.
In Cambridge鈥檚 , what was once a parking lot has been transformed into a year-round pop-up market, with over a dozen mini storefronts selling their wares, and outdoor murals, string lights, and warming stations enhancing the atmosphere. The city is working to design protected bike lanes for snowy conditions and currently offers city-run on winter bicycling basics, where you鈥檒l get tips on route planning and layering while bike commuting during inclement weather.
Copenhagen, Denmark
The Danes invented the concept of hygge, that now global trend of creating a warm, cozy atmosphere, so it鈥檚 no wonder the capital city of Copenhagen maintains a good vibe come wintertime. Cycling is a main mode of transportation here, and that doesn鈥檛 stop in the colder months. With shorter days at this time of year, the city even swapped out its streetlights for smarter, more energy-efficient bulbs that shine brighter when a cyclist approaches.
Things to do come winter: Take in a jazz concert at , a nationwide festival held in February. Enjoy the , also in February, with light installations throughout the city. Or ski down a former power plant at . Additionally, you can ice-skate for free at public squares, like , or skate and grab food from , a street-food market with an ice rink. To warm up, go soak in a hot tub or sweat in a sauna with views of the city at , a collection of floating and stationary tubs in the harbor of northern Copenhagen. Winter swimming is surprisingly popular here鈥攍ast year聽 were added to the harbor.
Edmonton, Canada
A decade ago, city planners in Edmonton got together to change the city鈥檚 approach to winter. Instead of building indoor malls and sending people inside, how could the city help people love the frosty season? Their solution was , which united a team of urban-planning experts tasked with making it easier for Edmontonians to get outside in the cold.
Local ski clubs offered free ski lessons to newbies, bike lanes were cleared of snow to promote winter cycling, and winter outdoor markets popped up around the city. Public spaces and outdoor patios were redesigned with fire pits, string lights, and heated seats. All those winter improvements now reappear every year starting around November. This February, the ten-day will feature ice skating, snow sculptures, and music, or you can compete in ax throwing and canoe races down a ski hill at 聽that same month.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is the city where ice fishing and pond hockey get folks outside in subzero temperatures, where bike paths are plowed for winter cyclists, and where the taproom and outdoor beer garden at 聽are popular no matter what the weather is doing. The take place here each January, and at the ten-day , held in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in late January, chefs cook over outdoor grills, artists and filmmakers debut their work, and experts host workshops on everything from winter bird-watching to walking meditation. This winter you鈥檒l be able to walk through LED-lit ice sculptures and tunnels as part of the new installment.
At Theodore Wirth Regional Park, winter recreation is king: the city-owned park hosts an in February and has 20 miles of cross-country trails, affordable ski rentals and lessons, sledding hills, singletrack for fat-tire biking, and lakes for ice fishing. There are many other places to cross-country ski and snowshoe, too. The state鈥檚 gets you access to any trails within state parks or state forests; it costs $10 a day or $25 for the year. In addition,聽 offers free snowshoe rentals in many city-owned parks.
Sapporo, Japan
Host of the 1972 Winter Olympic Games, Sapporo is known as one of the snowiest cities in the world, with an average snowfall of about 16 feet. But instead of getting buried by all that powder, citizens carve it into giant castles and snow slides. The city鈥檚 now famous , held at Odori Park in February, attracts millions of people and has been running since 1950. It features elaborate snow and ice sculptures as tall as buildings.
The festival isn鈥檛 the only thing to do in Sapporo in winter. located within the city and accessible via city bus, is open until 10 P.M.聽and has lessons and gear rentals for beginners, as well as the biggest halfpipe in Japan for everyone else. Afterward, slurp a bowl of steaming ramen at , an alleyway lit up by paper lanterns, with a collection of over a dozen ramen shops, or soak in an onsen at , a hot-springs resort just outside the city.