LAC LA BICHE - Despite the cancellation of the Lac La Biche Ice Festival’s three major racing events, the weekend of fun on the ice of Lac La Biche went very well, according to festival coordinator Ken Staples.
Due to consistently warm temperatures that caused wet and slushy conditions on the ice and made for unsafe racing tracks, Lac La Biche Ice Festival organizers decided to cancel the signature car and sled drag races as well as the on-ice aircraft fly-in.
“Those are far and away the biggest parts of the event,” Staples told Lakeland This Week. The Ice Festival took place from Feb. 28 to March 2.
According to Staples, not having these events as part of the weekend had an impact on this year’s winter festival, especially in terms of attendance. Organizers were anticipating a turnout of up to 3,000. However, roughly 1,000 people were estimated to have been on Lac La Biche lake.
During last year’s festival, which took place on a bitterly cold weekend, a crowd of 2,000 showed up, Staples said.
In addition to smaller crowds, the cancellation of the ice races and the fly-in also meant that those participants who were booked to stay in Lac La Biche for the weekend didn’t arrive.
Staples said there were probably 50 car race teams that didn’t show up, along with 100 to 120 sleds. While it is difficult to estimate numbers for the aircraft fly-in, there were likely about 100 planes, along with pilots and other people, who weren’t there due to the event being cancelled.
While it was disappointing for members of the Ice Festival organizing committee to host the festival without the events, the remainder of the weekend was very successful.
“I think it well extremely well, just minus the three anchor events,” he said.
The town square that was set up on the ice adjacent to the shore of Lac La Biche Lake was well-organized and brought in a good turnout, particularly on March 1, said Staples.
Although there were no exhilarating car races to keep attendees entertained, this year’s winter festival did feature Mega trucks roaring through a track, as well as snowmobile races and other related events.
The Mega truck race, which took place on March 1 and drew a large crowd, was a major part of the 2025 Lac La Biche Ice Festival, Staples said.
“They were an attraction onto themselves, and they put on a very good show, and they’re already committed to come back next year,” he stated.
Throughout the weekend, the Lac La Biche Back Country Riders hosted several events, including snowmobile riding instruction for kids and adults, a competition called the Snowball Race, a ride to and from the Lac La Biche Mission, and the annual Snow’n’Shine display of vintage sleds. The Back Country Riders also served up hearty pancake breakfasts on March 1 and 2, which were very popular.
The snowmobile club was able to salvage its training tracks for the event.
“They were able to do what they set out to do,” said Staples. “They served more breakfasts than they had anticipated.”
The festival organizing committee received positive feedback from people who attended the long-running community event, which has been drawing crowds to Lac La Biche from near and far since 1984.
Organizers of the Lac La Biche Ice Festival are looking forward to next year and have started planning for the 2026 event.
They’re also hoping for more agreeable weather conditions next year.
“The weather is the one thing you have no control over, but you have to plan and be ready for,” Staples said.
