The 31st Annual Michigan Ice Fest was an overall success, with a safe and happy event.

“We’re very excited,” said Bill Thompson, Ice Fest Organizer. “We brought people in from all over the United States and seven different countries and had an incredible festival.”

Final numbers have not been released by the fest at this time, but Thompson said there were more estimated this year than 2022. Over 1,000 climbers had pre-registered with more than 200 signing up the day of.

Keeping a decades-long even fresh is a key point for Thompson and his staff. This year, new classes regarding adaptive climbing for people with disability, remote route contests and a treasure hunt kept the climbers having fun.

“When we had our first ice climbing festival, we had 10 people. Now, with staff, that’s more like 1,500,” Thompson said. “People fall in love with the U.P. and love coming back and having these new experiences in a place they love.”

The Michigan Ice Fest received praise from the community after numerous ice climbers integrated better with Munising during their time in town. Multiple ice fest lanyards were seen at the Polar Plunge, the Rotary Pancake Breakfast and interacting positively with people in bars and restaurants. Prosecutor Rob Steinhoff said that there were no arrests from the festival, which is different from the public arrest totals at Winter Carnival in Houghton and the I 500 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Thompson said that many groups had reached out before the Ice Fest to include the climbers in these community events and that they were happy to join in.

“We do like to feature Munising as part of the festival, as many people that come here for Ice Fest return during the summer to visit the area,” Thompson said. “This festival is not just about ice climbing. The activities outside of it is just as important.”