During the Village Board meeting Tuesday, Mayor Rick Syper called this year’s castle “the biggest castle Mayville has ever seen.” He said there have been 15-20 volunteers gathering each morning constructing the ice castle, along with a number of students from BOCES’s Conservation classes.

Opening ceremonies take place Friday at 6 p.m. with a dedication, presentation of the Medallion Hunt Prize, and lighting of the castle.

There will be bon fires, sledding hills, DJs playing music and various sporting events, including ice ball bowling, hockey and basketball.

Saturday’s events run 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a cold water rescue demonstration by the NorthLake Fire Department, snowmobile rides, horse drawn wagon rides (fee charged), face painting, groomer demonstration, a blacksmith demonstration, a scavenger hunt and more.

OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon Mayville village officials discuss the upcoming Winterfest, which begins Friday night.

The Porcelain Bus Drivers will be performing from 5-9 p.m. and there will be a flare parade, followed by fireworks.

The fun continues on Sunday, running 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with many of the events Saturday continuing. Sunday’s events also include a pet parade at 2 p.m. and a 5k run from 10 a.m. to noon.

There will also be a cornhole tournament from noon to 5 p.m. There is a fee to enter and large cash prizes will be awarded to the winners. Preregister at www.mayvillewinterfest.com.

Both Saturday and Sunday will be a craft show at Chautauqua Suites.

Food trucks will be available all weekend and there will be a beer and wine tent as well.

Syper said this year will be the 39th time they’ve had a winter festival in the village.

The centerpiece of the festival, the castle, hasn’t been constructed every year out of ice. Some years they’ve had to build one out of snow when Chautauqua Lake didn’t freeze over. They’ve also had a wooden castle, which was used in 2023 and 2024.

But it’s been plenty cold this year. “(Monday) they had trouble getting the equipment started. They usually get going by 9 but they didn’t get going until 10 because the equipment was frozen,” Syper said at the meeting.

Last year the Chamber of Commerce backed out of organizing the festival, but Inspire Good of WNY, Inc. stepped up and took it over, which it is doing again this year.

Mayville Chamber President Brian Pender, who is also a board member of Inspire Good of WNY, said this year the chamber has donated $5,000 to the event. “Last I knew they had $27,000 of sponsor donations and that number has only gone up. And that’s cash. There’s also the in-kind donations,” he said.

According to Sorena Gilkinson, president and co-founder of Inspire Good of WNY, Inc., any money donated goes directly to the festival. Any leftover will go toward next year’s 40th festival, which will again take place during President’s Day Weekend.

Gilkinson noted that this year they’ve had a lot more time to do planning. “We’re grateful for all of the volunteers we have with building the castle, and our sponsors,” she said.

Their Facebook page, “The Mayville Winterfest – Mayville, NY” has already had 1.3 million organic views this year.

For more information, visit their Facebook page or their website www.mayvillewinterfest.com.