‘ICE!’ is back this year at Gaylord Texan

Gaylord Texan Resort announced this week that its longtime holiday tradition, ICE!, is returning late this year after a two-year hiatus.

Using more than 1,000 tons of ice, a team of 40 ice artisans will work for six weeks to bring the holiday classic movie, The Polar Express, to life in the 17,000-square-foot frozen attraction, according to a news release from the hotel. Ice carvings will range in size from details as tiny as a coin to soaring scenes more than 30 feet tall, and the environment will be kept frozen by a state-of-the-art chilling system that maintains the temperature at a frosty 9 degrees Fahrenheit.

“We can’t wait for our guests to once again experience the magic and wonder of ICE! during this year’s Lone Star Christmas celebration,” said Chuck Pacioni, general manager of Gaylord Texan Resort. “Since debuting here in 2005, ICE! has always been a one-of-a-kind attraction for our guests, and we’re excited to welcome this Gaylord Hotels tradition back this year with The Polar Express™ and all the beloved characters from the classic holiday movie.”

Inside of the ICE! attraction, guests can also take rides down two-story-tall ice slides, traverse through ice tunnels and arches, and visit Carver’s Showcase to see live sculpting demonstrations. The ICE! experience concludes in a separate area dedicated to an awe-inspiring Nativity scene, meticulously carved and shaped in a dramatic display of crystal-clear ice.

ICE! will open Nov. 11 and run through Jan. 1, 2023. It’s the Gaylord Texan’s signature Christmas event, but there will be plenty more festive activities, events, attractions and decorations throughout the 125-acre resort. The entire resort transforms into a holiday wonderland with more than 2 million lights, elaborately themed Christmas trees all throughout the garden atrium and convention center, more than 15,000 ornaments, and miles of garland. Christmas shows and activities are presented in the atrium, while parts of the convention center transform into Christmas Village, a bustling holiday hamlet with village storefronts.