How did SnowFest come to be?

So why do you call it SnowFest, when its in July?

Did you know SnowFest’s roots go all the way back to 1936?

Imagine July 1936, the entire nation baked under a record-breaking heat wave… except for Two Rivers, WI. While working at a new park on the south side of town, construction crews dug into a dirt pile and uncovered something unbelievable: A massive pile of perfectly preserved snow—right in the middle of July! Check the picture in the post to see the guys that found it, posed with it!

The Associated Press picked up the story, and suddenly Two Rivers became America’s “Coolest Spot in Wisconsin.” There is even a story of how the city manager of Two Rivers, dumped the snow on the mayor’s desk in Manitowoc to prove it was there. Needless to say city leaders embraced the fame, and in July 1937, with the help of the American Legion, the very first Two Rivers SnowFest was born.

Over the decades, community groups like the American Legion, Lions, and eventually the Jaycees kept the SnowFest tradition alive. The festival even crowned an annual Snow Queen, and featured some of the biggest and best parades in the region. Check out the pictures of some of the older parades!

From collectible pins and signs the event was part of Two Rivers identity. However, like many things it began to fade away and it actually stopped in the mid 1990’s.

A group called the Friends of Two Rivers SnowFest wanted to see the event come back and members from the community started to work to make that happen. While planning to kick the return off in 2020, it had to wait until 2021 and has been part of July in Two Rivers ever since and hopefully for years to come.

And today, SnowFest is once again bringing joy to new generations—through music, kids’ entertainment, games, food, drink, inflatables, vendors, crafters, and of course, the beloved parade. So in case you wanted to know why it’s called SnowFest? There you go! Hope to see you all July 24-26, 2026. Check out trsnowfest.org for all of the information you want to find on the event.

SnowFest is back. SnowFest is family. SnowFest is Two Rivers. See you there!