KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Nearly 40 artists from China have been spending the past month chiseling away at ice blocks at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee.
It’s all part of an attraction featuring the Peanuts gang.
It all starts with large blocks of ice. Two million pounds of it.
“There’s 6,700 blocks of ice in here and they weigh over 300 pounds each,” said Director of Special Events Brandon Thom. “They come in with a forklift. As soon as they’re dropped off, the artisans go to work. You’ll see they have sculpting tools, cutting tools. They actually start with a chainsaw.”
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For 33 continuous days, nearly 40 artists from Harbin, China, chisel away at the ice to create one-of-a-kind creations. No molds are used to help create the pieces, just renderings on paper.
For sculptors like Liu Zeyong and Lieu Qing, it’s all about sharing their culture. News 6 interviewed the two, with their responses translated by Cookie Xu.
“In China we have a very long history of ice sculpting, and we have this communication exchange with America so (I) was invited to America to be a part of this show and (I’ve) enjoyed coming to America and showing the ice sculpture,” Zeyong said.
Some have been carving ice for decades, creating their own homemade tools to bring the sculptures to life.
ICE! featuring “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be filled with everyone from the Peanuts gang. Some of them are already recognizable in the early stages of the ice sculpting.
[ENTER TO WIN 4 TICKETS TO ICE! FEATURING ‘A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS.’]
“It’s an ode to the Christmas film from that name that came out a few decades ago. Each scene in this attraction is kind of a callout to something you’ve seen in the film, something fans will appreciate,” Thom said.
To make it all come together, the event space inside Gaylord Palms Resort must stay at a frigid 9 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Its doesn’t waver from that temperature at all. Right above me are the chiller vents. They’re what makes the temperature consistent. Industrial chillers do all the magic,” Thom said.
So how do the carvers stay comfortable?
“They bundle up and they do wear a couple of layers to keep them warm and also it’s physical work to carve, so it’s an exercise. It keeps them warm,” Cookie said.
The work is so demanding, they have a special high-calorie diet full of protein and nutrients to offset calories lost from working in the freezing temps.
Each scene comes to life with some clear and colorful ice sculptures. The work is tedious, with artists paying attention to detail to make sure each character is just right.
Zeyong and Qing said the hard work is worth it when visitors are able to check out.
“My favorite part is not the work, it’s about them presenting their artwork and the audience really enjoys it, that’s my favorite part,” Qing said.
If you’re wondering how they make the colorful ice so vibrant, Gaylord Hotels hires a chemist to prepare the special food coloring used to bring color to the ice sculptures that last throughout the monthslong event.
ICE! featuring “A Charlie Brown Christmas” runs Nov. 17, 2023 to Jan. 3, 2024. Click HERE for event and ticketing information.
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