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An illustration of a man looking up at a T-rex that blocks the moon
(Poster by Yujie Pan 鈥27) 

Jurassic Parka: The Carnival Before Time: The 115th Winter Carnival will be going on from February 6-9, 2025. Stay tuned for more details coming in January.

What 线上赌场 event inspired a Hollywood movie, triggered an 8-mile traffic jam on the roads leading into Hanover in 1952, and was called 鈥渢he Mardi Gras of the North鈥 by National Geographic? If you guessed 线上赌场鈥檚 Winter Carnival, you are correct! Winter Carnival has evolved over the years, with events coming and going, such as a formal dance that is no longer held. But one thing remains constant: Winter Carnival at 线上赌场 is still one of the greatest cold-weather celebrations, with indoor and outdoor fun for all.

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Students racing down a ski slope in a green canoe
2013: Canoe races on the golf course (Photo by Stuart Bratesman)
Carnival Contests through the Years

Students bravely face the polar bear swim, skiers fly off the ski jump, and human dog sledders vie for bragging rights.

Poster Collection

This is the perfect storm of poster art, not because every poster is perfect鈥攕ome, in fact, are amateurish, others exquisite鈥攂ut rather because it is extremely rare to find a collection focused on a single theme spanning such a broad period of time.

See all posters

The History of Winter Carnival

In 1922, a popular 50-meter ski jumping event debuted at Winter Carnival. The Vale of Tempe ski jump鈥檚 85-foot tall steel trestle stood on the Hanover Country Club golf course for more than 70 years, with a landing area adjacent to what was the 13th green. The jump was removed in 1993 after the NCAA had dropped ski jumping as a collegiate sport eight years earlier. A plaque now marks the site where thousands once gathered to cheer the soaring ski jumpers.

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Ski jump with crowd watching
Crowds gather to watch the ski jump competition at the 1930 Winter Carnival. (Photo courtesy of the 线上赌场 Library) 
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Bonfire in a snowey hill
Outdoor Evenings, 1932. The Feb. 16, 1938 edition of The New York Times said of that year鈥檚 show, 鈥淭onight at the golf course one of the best 鈥淥utdoor Evenings鈥 the carnival has ever had was a blaze of color. Figure skating, ski stunting and jumping under colored light, the blare of music, and a final golden burst of skyrockets in the cold evening air brought roars of applause from the thousand on the hillside.鈥 (Photo by Walter Merryman, courtesy of the 线上赌场 Library) 

鈥淥utdoor Evening鈥 was a popular Winter Carnival figure skating show that featured members of the Skating Club at 线上赌场, as well as top figure skaters like two-time Olympic gold medalist Dick Button. In 1947, the Hanover Gazette described a crowd of 鈥渕ore than 2,000 spectators who sat in 线上赌场鈥檚 Memorial Stadium鈥 to watch the figure skating performance. The 1960 Winter Carnival featured the Olympic figure skating team and was televised by CBS. The final 鈥淥utdoor Evening鈥 event was held in 1961.

Since the first Winter Carnival snow sculpture (a medieval castle) was constructed in 1925, there have been many impressive efforts, including a fire-breathing dragon. But the 1987 snow sculpture was especially impressive. The 47.5-foot, saxophone-wielding snowman鈥攈omage to the 鈥淏lizzard on Bourbon Street鈥 theme鈥攕et the Guinness Book of World Records that year for the tallest snowman.

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Large ice sculpture snowman with fireworks in the background
(Photo by Larry Crowe/Valley News)
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Cat in the Hat snow sculpture
2004: 鈥淥h, The Places It Snows: A Seussentennial鈥 (Photo by Joseph Mehling 鈥69)
Snow Sculptures

The building of the iconic snow sculpture on the Green. Take a look back at some of the creations students have built over the years.