Snowfest! returns for a 40th annual celebration of North Lake Tahoe’s love of all things winter. Join in for 10 days filled with winter fun for all ages. The party kicks off with the coronation of the 2022 Snowfest! king and queen, Feb. 24, at Gar Woods in Carnelian Bay, from 5 to 10 p.m. At 7 p.m., eyes will turn to the skies above Lake Tahoe for fireworks display to light up the night.
The party will stretch along the North Shore, with events like the North Tahoe Firefighters Pancake Breakfast, the Tahoe City Snowfest! Parade, the Tahoe Tap Haus Block Party, Gar Wood’s 33rd Annual Polar Bear Swim, Fat Cat’s Hot Wings Eating Contest, Za’s 7th Annual Clam Bake, and the Sunnyside Luau. As of press time, full details were not yet available for all events but now is the time to start formulating your plan for fun.
One not-to-be-missed event is the Tahoe City Dog Pull at Pete ‘n Peter’s on Feb. 27. Sign your furball up for this live competition to see which critter can pull the most weight on a carefully crafted, fenced and staked snow run created with tools provided by the Tahoe City Public Utility District. Each dog’s weight will determine how much weight it can safely pull. A prize bag will be awarded for each dog’s weight class in a winning division. Entry fee is $20 per dog. Register your pup at tahoesnowfest.org. All proceeds benefit Snowfest!
The fun continues all week long with other unique events like Milk Jug Curling, the Wine N Ice ice-carving competition, the West Shore Market Cornhole Tournament, snow sculpture contest, the Kings Beach Parade, and more.
Snowfest! was the brainchild of former Alpine Meadows Ski Resort marketing director Bob Everson, who in 1981 suggested to the then-named Tahoe City Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors & Convention Bureau that the North Tahoe community host a winter carnival. In those days, skiers typically visited the region primarily during the months of December through February. They had no idea what they were missing: the incredible March snowpack that allowed the fun and games of winter play to continue into the spring.
It wasn’t long before the concept gained steam and Snowfest! was born. As it’s grown and evolved over the years, Snowfest! has been declared one of the Top 100 Events in the United States by the American Business Association and was named one of the Top 10 Events in California by the California Department of Tourism.
Full details for this year’s winter extravaganza are still in the works, so check online for continued updates. And of course, with the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to rear its ugly head, all events are subject to change.
Info: tahoesnowfest.org
~ Juliana Demarest/Moonshine Ink
