Welcome to Winter Carnival 2025
Dragons, Knights, and Legendary Sights
Organized by Blue Key National Honor Society since 1934, Winter Carnival started in 1922 and has grown into one of the biggest annual winter celebrations in the nation. Known for huge, intricate snow statues around campus and the community, Carnival also brings Huskies together to compete in broomball, comedy skits, human ice bowling, and a royalty coronation.
Special Events
Broomball
Teams will play each other for two 10 minute periods with a 1 minute half time. All players must have a valid Michigan Tech ID to play. Teams that do not have four players on the ice within five minutes after their scheduled game time will automatically forfeit the game. All players should review the complete list of broomball rules.
Cross Country Skiing
Organizations will provide two or three member teams to compete in a roughly 2-kilometer cross country ski race. This event will take place on the Isle Royale Trail at the Tech Trails. This event is scored based on the total time of all three team members. Teams consisting of fewer than three members will have the slowest contestant of the day’s time included in their total time for every person missing.
Curling
In curling teams slide stones across a sheet of ice toward a target similar to a bullseye. Points are awarded for stones closest to the center of the target after each team has thrown eight stones. Teams of three to four participants will participate in this event which takes place at the Drill House in Calumet, Michigan. The style of this tournament is head to head single elimination.
Downhill Skiing
Teams with a minimum of two and/or a maximum of five participants will compete in this Giant Slalom style event. In Giant Slalom skiers weave through gates to reach the finish line. The times of the top three finishers for each team will be combined for a team total. This event will take place at Mont Ripley Ski Hill. Teams consisting of less than three members will have the slowest contestant of the day’s time included in their total time for every person missing.
Downhill Snowboarding
Teams with a maximum of five participants will compete in this Giant Slalom style event. In this Giant Slalom, snowboarders weave through gates to reach the finish line. The times of the top three finishers for each team will be combined for a team total. Teams consisting of less than three members will have the slowest contestant of the day's time included in their total time for every person missing. This event will take place at Mont Ripley Ski Hill.
Human Dog Sled Races
Race to the finish line in this 100-yard snowy sled dash! In this event there are six people pulling a sled that holds four riders and one musher. Each team must race in a homemade sled.
Ice Bowling
Teams consisting of no more than 10 members will compete in this version of bowling on ice. One team member will ride on a sled to act as the ball and will be slid down a nine foot wide ice lane to knock down as many pins as possible. Teams will complete six frames scored the same as regular bowling. This event will be held at the Dee Stadium.
Snow Soccer
Teams of five will compete in this soccer competition played on snow. Games will be played in two (2) 10-minute halves, with goals worth 1 point each.
Speed Skating
This skating competition consists of three different events: one lap, two laps, and a four-person relay. Teams can participate in any or all of these events. The one and two lap races are scored individually so it is possible for one team to take more than one place in these events.
Snow Volleyball
Teams of no more than twelve will compete in this volleyball competition played on snow. Rally scoring will be used and games will be played to 25 points.
Tug of War
Teams of eight will compete at the SDC practice fields. There is a 5 minute time limit for each match and the tournament is single elimination. To win teams must pull the center of the rope over a designated marker
Banner Paintings
Organizations will receive a cloth banner from Blue Key and be given two weeks of school time to paint their designs on the cloth. The organizations will then return the banners to Blue Key to distribute them to the downtown Houghton businesses for display. Students, community members, and visitors will then be able to vote for their favorite banners by either voting online or filling out a paper ballot and placing it in the corresponding banner’s ballot box.
Schedule of Events
Student ParticipationThe most up-to-date sports schedules can be found on the Michigan Tech Huskies website. Watch games on Huskies Live and FloHockey.tv.
Winter Carnival Special Events for participating organizations, registered participants only may compete; spectators welcome.
Royalty
Madelyn Carey
Pronouns: She/Her
Kaydence Drys
Pronouns: She/Her
Elizabeth Harke
Pronouns: She/Her
Anna Hartz
Pronouns: She/Her
Ella House
Pronouns: She/Her
Andie Kozakiewicz
Pronouns: They/Them
Rowan Kuhn
Pronouns: She/Her
Analise Walsh
Pronouns: She/Her
Stage Revue
Lights, camera, action! Winter Carnival Stage Revue, a tradition that's been going strong since 1946, Huskies competing for the coveted Winter Carnival trophy (and Stage Revue bragging rights) put their all into auditioning, rehearsing, and performing skits. Come join in the laughter and applause as they’re judged on acting quality, technical production, good taste, originality, theme, and entertainment value. Vote for the Audience Choice winner.
Comedian
Chris Jones is a hypnotist, comedian and the host of the prank series Double Take on Facebook Watch. In each episode of the new series, Jones conspires with a different celebrity (from John Cena, to Pamela Anderson and NeNe Leakes) to give one adoring fan the surprise of a lifetime: meeting and interacting with their idol in a range of crazy circumstances, though - under hypnosis - unable to recognize them.
Meet the Student Organizers
Blue Key National Honor Society is an organization that strives for the goals of excellence in academics, development of leadership, and service to the community. Blue Key was established to organize and coordinate the Michigan Technological University Winter Carnival in a fair and equitable manner to serve the surrounding community. Overall, Blue Key sets standards for recognizing excellence in leadership in college activities and in scholarship.
Contact: bluekey@mtu.edu | 906-487-2818
Participate
Carnival Rule Book
The rules, important dates, and contact information for every event Winter Carnival event. This rule book is your organization's guide to participation in Winter Carnival.
Parking
To accommodate Winter Carnival, the following parking lots will be available free of charge for visitors and will not require a parking permit:
- Lot 5 and Lot 10
- Lot 27 (visitor lot between the Administration Building and MUB)
Additionally, there will be free parking during the day at all metered areas throughout Winter Carnival. There is no overnight parking at the meters. Visitors requiring overnight parking may park in Lot 10 (commuter lot located east of Rozsa - opposite side of Cliff Drive) without a permit.
All residential and faculty/staff lots will continue to be monitored for proper permits. If you have any questions about parking regulations, you can contact Transportation Services at 906-487-1441.