New ICEBAR and the launch of ICEHOTEL’s 35th anniversary celebration

Last weekend marked the grand opening of the new space-inspired ICEBAR In Orbit, at ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi. ICEBAR In Orbit offers a memorable journey through space, where guests can sip a drink beside a life-sized astronaut sculpted from ice and snow or make a quick exit via a slide carved from the same materials. ICEBAR In Orbit was created by Christian Strömqvist and Karl Johan Ekeroth of PinPin Studio, in collaboration with Christer Fuglesang, Sweden’s first astronaut, write Christian Strömqvist, Karl Johan Ekeroth and Christer Fuglesang.

“We’re truly excited to begin our anniversary year by opening ICEBAR In Orbit, which will be a meeting place for our guests for many years to come. And now we are looking forward to unveiling the beautiful suites in ICEHOTEL 35, on 13 December. With visitors from over 80 countries joining us this winter, we can’t wait to welcome them all!” says Marie Herrey, CEO of ICEHOTEL.

In Orbit is part of ICEHOTEL 365, the year-round section of Icehotel, which also features 18 art and deluxe suites made of ice and snow, and an experience room with a cinema.

See all the images from ICEBAR In Orbit in the image bank.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of ICEHOTEL, founded by Yngve Bergqvist, as the world’s first hotel made entirely of ice and snow on the riverbank in Jukkasjärvi. The design of the new ICEBAR kicks off the 35-year celebration, and construction is now underway on this season’s winter hotel, ICEHOTEL 35. Artists from all over the world are gathering alongside the building team, ice production specialists, and lighting crew to create and design the 3,000-square-meter seasonal hotel made of snow and ice. ICEHOTEL 35 opens on December 13 with 12 art suites, 20 ice suites, a grand 27-meter Main Hall, and the Ceremony Hall for weddings and events.

See all the design concepts of this year’s Icehotel.

This winter, tens of thousands of guests from around the world are expected to visit ICEHOTEL to sleep among glittering ice and snow art, experience the pristine wilderness around Jukkasjärvi, and make lifelong memories. A new feature among the activities this year is a snowmobile experience unlike any other. ICEHOTEL, in partnership with Vidde Mobility, will offer guests silent, immersive snowmobile tours using Vidde’s electric snowmobiles. These tours will be available from February 27th to March 13th 2025.

Facts: ICEBAR”In Orbit”
90 cubic meters of ice: Building the bar required 90 cubic meters of ice harvested from the Torne River in late winter.

80 cubic meters of snow: This amount of snow was needed for construction.

1:1 astronaut: A life-sized astronaut made of snow awaits guests in the bar.

3 weeks: It took three weeks to build the new ICEBAR, in collaboration with ICEHOTEL’s construction team.

A lasting experience: ICEBARJukkasjärvi is designed to last, with the previous bar standing for seven years and welcoming hundreds of thousands of guests.

Year-round: “In Orbit” is located within ICEHOTEL365, the year-round part of ICEHOTEL.

Launch date: ICEBAR”In Orbit” was launched on November 8.

Facts: ICEHOTEL
44 Warm hotel rooms
28 Warm cabins
18 Year-round open art and deluxe suites of ice (-5 degrees Celsius)
32 Winter open art suites and ice rooms (-5 degrees Celsius)
1 Accessible art suite of ice (-5 degrees Celsius)
3 Meeting rooms
1 Ceremony hall made of ice in the winter hotel (mid-Dec to mid-April)
1 Ice and snow cinema for 29 guests, open year-round
1 Exhibition room made of ice and snow
1 ICEBAR “In Orbit”
1 Specially designed entrance
3 Restaurants
5 Wilderness camps

ABOUT ICEHOTEL
ICEHOTEL opened in 1989 and is besides a hotel also an art exhibition with ever-changing art made out of ice and snow. Icehotel is created in a new guise every winter, made completely from natural ice from the Torne River – one of Sweden’s national rivers and last untouched waters. When the winter season’s hotel has melted back to the river in the spring, a part of the hotel remains so that visitors can experience the ice and snow year-round.

On December 13, 2024, ICEHOTEL 35 will be ready for the winter with 12 art suites, 20 ice rooms, as well as the Main Hall, and the Ceremony Hall. Everything is handcrafted in ice and snow by artists from around the world. To celebrate the 35th anniversary, there will also be a specially designed art experience outside the entrance of Icehotel. Here, the visitors are encouraged to interact with the material—touch the ice and snow—and collectively participate in the “unveiling” of this year’s ICEHOTEL.

The creation of ICEHOTEL 35 begins as soon as the snow falls in northern Sweden. At that time, artists will traditionally gather in Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, to work with the build team, ice production, art support, and lighting team to create and design the 3,000 square meters of winter hotel space made of snow and ice.

www.icehotel.com

Photos Asaf Kliger

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