Ice Festival/Chili Cookoff

This is the 19th year for the Shipshewana Ice Festival!  Ice carvers will be drilling and shaving blocks of ice all over town. The creations they design are submitted by the sponsor or the carver’s choice. These professional carvers enjoy the challenge of creating! Please stop in Shipshewana to see them work…or play.  To see more of the carving process, come Friday for lunch and stay until Saturday to see the finished results!  The final ice competition will take place in the parking lot behind the Davis Mercantile on Saturday.  As an added bonus, several stores will have extended hours on Friday night!  Please call ahead for specific other store hours if necessary.

Bring your taste buds and your appetite to the Shipshewana Chili Cook-Off that is scheduled to take place during the Ice Festival at 11:00 am until sold out on Saturday. Experience a variety of chilis, talk to our cooks, confer with your fellow judges, and cast your vote for the best Chili. As an added bonus, there will be a wing sauce competition on Friday from 4:00-7:00 pm. The cook-off and wing sauce competition will take place downtown at the Smokehouse Grills & Supply store located on Morton Street.

Chili Cook-Off Entrance Fee

1. Buy a ticket for $10 – This gets you into the Chili Cook-Off Tasting
2. Buy an Ice Festival Pin for $20 – This gets you into the Wing Sauce Competition and the Chili Cook-Off Tasting… PLUS access to store specials valid December 1, 2025 through January 2026.
3. Be sure to purchase a pin from the LaGrange County CVB (exact cash only-no cards), Kitchen Cupboard, or Smokehouse Grills! Pins are $20 each and grant deals throughout Shipshewana participating businesses when presented.

Click here to download the locations of the Ice Sculptures.