Community brings the warmth to Goshen Fire and Ice Festival

GOSHEN, Ind. — The first week of 2026 is coming to a close and that means Goshen First Fridays are back in full swing.

This Friday, the Fire and Ice Festival took center stage in downtown Goshen, with marshmallow roasting, book making, and movie watching, along with fire dancing, stunt shows, and interactive ice carvings.

Scattered throughout downtown were 28 different ice sculpture areas, some were pre-carved while the other half were carved live during the festival from 300-pound blocks of ice.

Among the ice sculptors was Sammy Moore. She got her start in the ice profession in 2017 after leaving her job as a chef and established Moore Ice Sculptures.

“I love it so much because I get to do something different almost every single time and then it gets to melt and I get to do it again another time… not very often do people get to get out in the winter and so this is a good opportunity for everybody in the community to just like tag together and just be out here having fun,” said Moore.

Between the different photo opportunities like an ice throne and sleigh, businesses offering things like free hot chocolate to keep people warm, and fire dancing down the street, the director of First Fridays, Amanda Rose, said it’s the community that keep the Fire and Ice Festival warm.

“It’s been tried and true and it’s one of those ones that people just keep coming back because it’s right after the holidays, we want to keep living in that holiday magic,” said Rose.

Getting to see something out of the ordinary at the festival is a draw for some folks and Moore said actually learning to do an ‘out-of-the-box’ hobby may open new paths for others, because it did for her.

“I never would have thought in a million years I’d go from being a chef to an ice sculptor… I’d say just jump in, not be afraid to ask questions, tag along to events, find some people that love the hobby as well and just jump in,” said Moore.