Set to brighten the local winter landscape, the Lambertville-New Hope Winter Festival opens Saturday, Jan. 21 and concludes on Jan. 28. A wide range of events includes a soup-a-thon, art gallery crawl, ice sculptures and a snow folk art competition.
A pair of historic pub crawls is already sold out, but other ticketed events include the Fire and Ice Ball on Saturday, Jan. 21 followed by the Winter Fest Blues, BBQ & NFL Playoffs on Sunday afternoon.
The Winter Fest Hawaiian Luau will add some tropical warmth to the week on Jan. 25, while the Taste of Winter Fest tasting party on Jan. 26 will allow local restaurants to show what they can do.
A major concert event is included in every Winter Festival lineup, and this year it will be An Evening at Odette’s on Jan. 27. Memories of the legendary New Hope club will fill the air with performances by local musical aficionado Bob Egan and other cabaret alumni. Also look for the Brian Pastor Big Band and a special appearance by Eddie Bruce. VIP tickets include preferred seating and a pre-concert reception at a piano bar setting at the Logan Inn in New Hope. The concert will be
at New Hope-Solebury High School.
A Beef ‘n’ Brew on Jan. 28 will feature hot roast beef sandwiches, beverages by Triumph Brewery Company and live music. The event will be held at the brewery.
The always popular Chili Cook-Off will feature the creations of a dozen local restaurants on Jan. 29. Ticketholders get to taste each of the chefs’ chilis plus beer to wash it down, then vote for their favorite chili. To purchase tickets to any of the events visit the festival website.
Events that don’t require tickets include the Winter Festival Gallery Crawl from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 28 and 29. A self-guided art tour through the towns, it includes nine participating galleries, some of which will provide light refreshments for visitors.
There is still time to participate in the Snow Folk Art Competition; just pick up a cutout to decorate (fee $10) at the Niece Lumber sales office in Lambertville. Decorated snow folk are due by Jan. 26, but many are already on display at New Hope-Solebury High School. The competition includes six categories for children, adults and groups. For registration and information, visit the festival website.
Those looking for the festival’s ice sculptures will find them on display around town by Jan. 28, which is also when live carvings will take place at Lambertville Station in Lambertville Giuseppe’s Pizza Restaurant in New Hope. On Jan. 29 there will be live carvings at Triumph Brewing Company.
If visitors get cold on any of the festival’s nine days, they can stop at restaurants participating in the first Soup-A-Thon. Each restaurant will create a signature soup for the festival. The cost is $3 a cup or $6 a bowl. See the festival website for a list of restaurants and the soups they will prepare.