International Snow Festivals

A special artistic competition has been held in San Candido in the Upper Val Pusteria for over three decades. At the "Dolomites Snow Festival" in February, ten international teams transform huge, 3x3x3-metre cubes of compacted snow into impressive works of art. With great skill and the right tools, delicate sculptures emerge from these solid blocks.

A similar festival takes place in December in San Vigilio di Marebbe, where mainly local teams compete for the jury and public prizes. The two events used to be linked, with artists first creating their works in San Vigilio di Marebbe in the Val Badia, and then in San Candido in the Upper Val Pusteria. Today, they are two separate festivals. As in San Candido, the participants have three days and are only allowed to use water and tools such as saws, shovels or wire.

Events featuring this inspiring art form are also held in the ski areas:

An International Snow Festival in a skiing area is the "Ice Games" in Cadipietra. There, at an altitude of 2,500 metres in the Klausberg Ski Arena in the Valle Aurina, international artists let their creativity run free in January. They create works of art from compacted snow, which freezes particularly quickly in the crisp winter air. Every year, a different theme is set to inspire the artists - for 2026, for example, it will be the Cortina-Milano Winter Games.

In the Alta Badia Skiing Area, the motto in January is also "Art on the Piste". Several teams of students and graduates from the "Cademia" art school in Ortisei create impressive works. These can be admired along the La Crusc 1 piste in Badia, near the Lé, Nagler and L'Tamá Huts. In the weeks that follow, visitors can vote online for their favourite sculpture. The theme for 2026 is "The Ladins, the people of the Dolomites", a tribute to the culture, identity and roots of the region.