GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There's a chill in the air in West Michigan as the seasons begin to transition from fall to winter.
Once the holidays have passed and the cold has settled in, many find themselves cooped up inside throughout the dark winter nights.
Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. has a plan to change that, with the return of World of Winter from Jan. 10 through March 2, 2025.
"It is something that we like to celebrate, the fact that we're a four-season city, and we always want to provide free activities for people to engage in, in those winter months and give the community a reason to celebrate," said Bill Kirk, the communications director at DGRI.
Kirk said they're already gathering art installations from across the globe to be featured at the festival.
"We're bringing in some brand new, massive outdoor art installations from places as far as Thailand and Australia and France," he said. "Some of these exhibits have been featured all over the world already. Some of them are debuting for the first time at World of Winter, which we're really excited about."
Kirk said there will also be plenty of local artists featured in the festival.
Many of the large-scale pieces they're bringing in are interactive, with sound-based and light-based features.
"People can really just expect a visually stunning festival with all these art pieces," Kirk said.
Some fan-favorite events will return to the festival, like the silent disco and Noodle Fest. There will also be brand-new events for the community to take part in, like an outdoor fashion show and a break dance battle.
More information on the festival can be found on its website here or on its social media pages.
