An ice sculpture near Reston Town Center’s ice skating rink at Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Reston Town Center visitors warm their hands at fire pits during Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Ice sculptor at start of demonstration for Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A penguin emerges out of ice during a carving demonstration at Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Ice sculptor continues to refine penguins at Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Finished penguin ice sculpture at Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Public ice skating rink at Reston Town Center during Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
People gather around Reston Town Center’s pavilion for an ice skating performance during Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Ice skating performance at Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Ice skating performance at Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Swan ice sculpture from Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Line to take photo with Ice-travaganza 2026 picture frame sculpture at Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Curling boards at Reston Town Center for Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Ice-travaganza at Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
An ice sculpture of an elf at Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
People line up for hot chocolate from Ben & Jerry’s at Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
A mother takes a photo of her kid with a snowflake ice sculpture at Reston Town Center’s Ice-travaganza 2026 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Despite cold temperatures and a looming storm, plenty of families stopped by the Reston Town Center pavilion on Saturday (Jan. 24) to enjoy a variety of winter activities.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the town center’s second annual “Ice-travaganza” brought live music, free hot chocolate, ice skating and ice sculptures that were soon buried under as many as eight inches of snow by Winter Storm Fern, which passed through the area a day later.
As speakers blasted pop hits from NSYNC to Dua Lipa, attendees lined up for cups of hot chocolate from a Ben & Jerry’s van, tried their hand at curling, or posed with ice sculptures of reindeer, elves, snowmen and other winter-themed figures set up around the Mercury fountain plaza on Market Street.
Many of the sculptures had their face carved out so people could look through them when taking a photo, though an emcee advised visitors against actually touching the sculptures, stating that they were more fragile than they appeared.
A sculpture of two penguins materialized out of a block of ice in real time during a carving demonstration that started at noon and involved a chainsaw, along with a scraper and other tools that allowed a bit more finesse.
Rental skating on the rink paused around 1 p.m. for performances by a pair of competitive figure skaters who drew a crowd and applause.
Reston Town Center hosted its first “Ice-travaganza” in January 2025, partnering with the Baltimore-based ice sculpting company The Ice God for the winter celebration.
Angela Woolsey is the site editor for FFXnow. A graduate of George Mason University, she worked as a general assignment reporter for the Fairfax County Times before joining Local News Now as the Tysons Reporter editor in 2020.
