Free, Friendly, Family Fun
Featuring Dozens of Ice Sculptures, Oysters, Ice Games, Photo Ops, Craft Beverages & Live Music – A holiday weekend of winter fun is coming to downtown Cambridge Jan. 12-13, 2024 when the
Cambridge Ice & Oyster Festival returns for its third year with two action-packed days of activities celebrating Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The free, family friendly outdoor event is once again presented by the
Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina with the support of many Mid-Shore businesses and organizations. It will feature dozens of dazzling 3D ice sculptures reflecting the imagery of Dorchester County - The Heart of the Chesapeake. Attendees can also enjoy a selection of wild and farm-raised oysters, craft beer and cocktails served at ice bars, hot chocolate, s’mores, and other favorite foods.
The hours are Friday, Jan. 12, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 13, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Ice & Oyster Festival grounds span the parking lots behind Chesapeake College in downtown Cambridge from Cannery Way (400 block of Race St.) to Blue Ruin Plaza with more sculptures on Race and Poplar streets. Live music will be featured at two stages.
Throughout the festival site, 3D sculptures carved from more than 50,000 pounds of ice will be displayed while master carvers show off their artistry with live demonstrations. An ice slide for the young ones, a giant throne, duck hunting blind and graffiti wall are among the many family photo opportunities carved in ice. Kids of all ages can try their skill at popular ice games, including corn hole, a mini golf putting hole and tic-tac-toe.
Other featured sculptures include: ice hockey table, ice breaker cutter and captain’s wheel, compass rose, locomotive engine, flock of geese, golden retriever, deadrise boat, mallards in flight, tractor & trailer, and many more...
Raw oysters on the half shell and grilled preparations will be sold by the watermen of Dorchester County (Dorchester Seafood Heritage Association) along with other of the region’s top oyster farms – Choptank Terrapin Oyster Co., Double T Oyster, Farm Creek Oyster Co., Madhouse Oysters, Madison Bay Seafood, and Seed to Shuck Ventures/ Bonnies Seafood Shack.
Attendees can chill out with a craft beer or cocktail at one of the festival’s two ice bars and then warm up with family members at one of three fire pits while roasting s’mores and sipping hot chocolate. Downtown Cambridge restaurants will be open for lunch and dinner throughout the weekend.
The
Rescue Fire Company Train Garden will once again be open during the festival for viewing of the amazing display with an 89-year history.
The Cambridge Ice and Oyster Fest is produced by the
Dorchester Chamber of Commerce &
Ice Lab with support from
Cambridge Main Street and
Dorchester County Tourism.
Sponsors at the time of the issue of this press release are:
Presenting: Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina.
Diamond: C & K Lord; TreeHouse Foods; Whitten Retirement Solutions; Farm Creek Insurance; and Bay Country/SafeHouse Security.
Pearl: Blue Ruin; City of Cambridge; and Preston Automotive Group
Crystal: BayVanguard Bank; Dorchester County Economic Development and Dorchester County Tourism; DELCO Packaging Products; Charles C. Powell Realtors; Koski Enterprises; Queenstown Bank; RAR Brewing; R. Brooks and Son; Roy Bradshaw’s Body Shop; Sharon Real Estate; Karen Davis State Farm; and Yacht Maintenance.
Silver: Madison Bay Seafood; Cambridge Harbor.
Block: Black Water Bakery; Taqueria Floritas; Ironman Maryland; PepUp; Shattered Glass; Simmons Center Market; Thomas’s Fine Jewelry, and Vintage 414.
For more information, visit the festival website at
https://iceoysterfest.com/. Entertainment schedules and weather updates will be posted on the
festival’s Facebook page.
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