Ice Sculpture festival, Le Festival de Sculpture de Glace (French) or Ijssculpturenfestival (Flemisch)
The exhibition of ice sculptures is amazing; it is worth suffering in minus six degrees. Fortunately, there is also an ice bar with ice chairs where you can have a cold drink in an ice glass :)
Traditionally, the ice sculptures display in Bruges held every year in the pavilion in front of the train station is a sign that Christmas is just around the corner. It usually takes place from November to January.
First time I went to see it in a tasteful trench coat, because it wasn't so cold. Given the size of the exhibition area, admission fee nine euros seemed exaggerated; but very quickly I realized that a larger pavilion would be impossible to maintain. Of course, to save the sculptures of artificially made ice from melting, they had to keep the temperature below zero - can you imagine that?! It was like at the North Pole in there! And I was wearing only a light trench coat!!! I was convinced I was going to freeze; I ran through it at a third cosmic speed and I raised my hat to a Belgian woman, who walked there with naked feet, albeit violet from the cold. Since then, I go to Bruges in a warm winter coat and with gloves, even if it was ten degrees outside.
Figures are made by artists from all over the world; they have five weeks to transform 400 tons (twenty-two trucks) of cold material into a magic world. Large blocks of ice are placed in the right positions and fine work begins. The "sculptors" cut out main contours with a chainsaw and finish them with razor sharp hand saws and a chisel; then smooth them with a grinder or a flatiron. If something sticks out, even a hair dryer can help; smaller pieces are glued with freezing water so that the joints can ́t be seen at all. The blocks are either translucent or white and their combination creates special effects.
The theme changes every year, but is mostly related to Disney and its charming fairy tales. Here you see lovable Mickey Mouse smiling, there seven dwarves sleeping in their beds. Atmosphere is underlined by music, cold space makes the perfect acoustics like in a cave; it seems that gentle melody comes to you from all sides. The colourful lighting amplifies the theatrical effect, the frozen sculptures glitter romantically. You feel like in an enchanted country...
In the hall, full of mirrors with beautifully decorated ice frames, the Prince dances with the beauty whose dress is blowing in the wind.
The cook prepares a fish, while a pig is roasting already on a charcoal grid. The landlady carries red wine in a jug. The mysterious lady sitting at the dressing table is doing her makeup; the brushes and the perfume bottles are like real. And the scary dragon rages angrily over a treasure frozen in ice...
The exhibition is amazing; it is worth suffering in minus six degrees. Thanks to the milder winters in recent years, I have completely forgotten what it feels like to have fingers so benumbed with cold that they hurt. Every time I pressed the camera button with my frozen forefinger, I almost cried.
Of course, there was also an ice bar with ice chairs, covered with fur, where I quickly had a cold drink served in an ice shot glass.
After leaving the main area, I found myself in a provisional restaurant; I finally enjoyed a big cup of mulled wine, but my teeth were still chattering for a few minutes.
When I walked out onto the street, it suddenly seemed to be quite warm outside. I went to see the city, already prepared for Christmas. I admired the shop windows, the unbelievable choice of chocolate and beer, and of course, I didn’t leave empty-handed...
IMPORTANT!
Bruges decided not to organise the Ice Sculpture Festival in 2019 and it is unclear whether the tradition will continue.
