NORTHAMPTON — With New England fully entrenched in the post-holiday malaise, the DNA — otherwise known as the Downtown Northampton Association — is spearheading an event at the end of this month that celebrates the winter season and the downtown community.
The organization unveiled the city’s first annual Winterfest, which is scheduled for Jan. 20 from 12-4 p.m. in Pulaski Park and throughout downtown Northampton.
According to a social media announcement about the event, Pulaski Park will be a central location for the winter party where people can grab hot chocolate, listen to music, sing karaoke, participate in winter craft activities and roast s’mores.
Jillian Duclos, the executive director of the DNA, told Reminder Publishing that the winter event will also work in tandem with Northampton’s annual Ice Art Festival, which is currently in its 13th year and features 15 well-known ice artists showcasing their work throughout downtown.
“We’re really trying to pull together a more family friendly reason to come downtown somewhere to find information, to do something fun with your family, and then send them out to enjoy all the ice art,” Duclos said, when talking about the Winterfest and Ice Art Festival.
Aside from hosting many activities at Pulaski Park, Winterfest is also functioning as a connector for people to the downtown area.
“We want Winterfest to be a landing place where we can share with folks who are coming to the festival all the information about all the things that they can discover, ways to get out of the cold, where to go to eat, and really kind of be that touch point so that we can really amplify what we do for Ice Arts,” Duclos said.
According to Duclos, the DNA is also currently collecting information from downtown businesses and organizations to see what special events or activities they are spearheading that day.
For example, Duclos is working with the people associated with Arts Night Out, which happens every second Friday of the month, to find out what shows are happening in the area that weekend for visitors who want that information.
“We’re really trying to help folks who are visitors navigate all the great things that are going on downtown,” Duclos said.
According to the event poster, Winterfest is a collaboration between the DNA, Smith College, Thornes Marketplace, Whalen Insurance, Greenfield Savings Bank and the city of Northampton.
“There are a lot of people who get up every day and work really hard to build this community, and we want to bring as many people in to enjoy that and discover it to come back to see what we’re doing,” Duclos said. “We have a lot of power as a local community, and these events really solidify the excitement around that human connection about supporting one another.”
Readers can visit the DNA’s Facebook page to learn more about the event. According to the poster, the rain/snow date is Jan. 27.
According to Duclos, the ice sculptures will be up as long as possible this winter, depending on the weather.
![](https://www.thereminder.com/images/Northampton-winterfest.jpg")
