ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi is preparing its 37th winter edition, which opens on December 11. At the same time, ICEHOTEL 365 is celebrating ten years with a new venture: a podcast studio built entirely of ice, which will also function as an art suite for overnight guests.
At the end of November, artists from all over the world will gather in Jukkasjärvi to build ICEHOTEL 37 for about two weeks with snow and approximately 2,000 tons of natural ice from the Torne River.
The interest in participating has been record-breaking. A total of 293 applications were received from artists around the world. According to ICEHOTEL, half of the selected artists have never worked with ice before.
– It is fantastic to see a new application record for ICEHOTEL 37. The fact that half of those selected have never worked with ice before reflects both the global appeal and the creative power of ICEHOTEL, says Luca Roncoroni, Creative Director at ICEHOTEL.
Twelve new art suites
ICEHOTEL 37 will feature a total of 16 art projects, including twelve art suites, a ceremonial hall, a pillared hall, and two projects in the side halls.
Suites include ”The Emperors Suite,” featuring hand-sculpted emperor penguins, and ”Forestry,” inspired by the mythological forest creature. ”The Cold Descent” is themed around a descent into an icy pool.
Luca Roncoroni himself is behind this year's ceremony hall, which is designed with organic shapes in snow and ice and will be used for weddings, among other things.
Podcast studio becomes new attraction
In parallel, the permanent part ICEHOTEL 365 is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The facility opened to make it possible to live among ice and snow art even during the summer.
The anniversary novelty will be a podcast studio built entirely of ice, which ICEHOTEL states could be the world's first of its kind.
The studio is being created by Annie Locke Scherer from the US and Tobias Kiefer from Germany. It will also be an art suite where hotel guests can stay overnight.
The idea is that the studio will be used for selected podcast productions and collaborations, where guests, artists and employees, among others, can talk about their experiences from ICEHOTEL.
“We have recreated ICEHOTEL every winter for almost four decades, and each visit leaves behind new stories. With the podcast studio, we have the opportunity to collect some of them and let more voices become part of ICEHOTEL's continued history,” says Marie Herrey, CEO of ICEHOTEL.
Opens December 11
When ICEHOTEL 37 opens on December 11, the ice hotel itself will be complemented by restaurants and a range of winter activities, including dog sledding, snowmobile safaris, ice sculpting and northern lights tours.
The seasonal part of the hotel melts back into nature in the spring, while ICEHOTEL 365 is open year-round.
Short facts about ICEHOTEL
44 Warm hotel rooms
28 Warm cabins
18 Year-round open art and deluxe suites made of ice in Icehotel 365 (-5 degrees Celsius)
36 Winter-open art suites and ice rooms (-5 degrees Celsius)
1 Accessible ice art suite (-5 degrees Celsius)
3 Meeting rooms
1 Ceremonial hall made of ice in the winter hotel (mid-Dec – mid-April)
1 Ice and snow cinema for 29 guests, open all year round
1 Exhibition room made of ice and snow
2 ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL: ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL JUKKASJÄRVI IN ICEHOTEL 365 & ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL COPENHAGEN
3 Restaurants
5 Wilderness Campers
About ICEHOTEL
ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi opened in 1989, and is not only a hotel but also an art exhibition with changing original art made of ice and snow. Every winter, a new version of ICEHOTEL is created, made entirely of ice from the Torne River, one of Sweden's national rivers and the last untouched waterway. When the winter season's hotel of ice and snow has melted back into the river in the spring, part of the hotel remains, ICEHOTEL 365.
