WORCESTER—The EcoTarium’s Stoddard Exhibition Hall was buzzing this weekend as families streamed in for the museum’s second annual Frosty Festival, a two-day mix of holiday characters, hands-on science and the kind of winter fun that doesn’t require snow boots.
The hall was transformed into a holiday landscape complete with Olaf the Snowman, “Frozen”-inspired princesses, and a visit from Santa. Kids ping-ponged between winter-themed science tables and bursts of pure kid energy—none more popular than the EcoTarium’s new Sock Skating Rink.
The rink, described by the EcoTarium as giving visitors the “sensation of real ice without the blades, bumps, or cold,” had families laughing their way across the slick floor. The museum says it plans to make the rink a December tradition.
Elsewhere in the hall, younger visitors clustered around a puppet show from Pumpernickel Puppets, holiday face painting, and a steady stream of photo ops. Outdoors, the museum’s passenger train—officially named “The Worcester Railers’ Explorer Express”—ran its one-mile loop around the grounds. EcoTarium President and CEO Noreen Smith said in the announcement that a second steam engine, newly restored and repainted by staff, is now displayed next to the station for family photos.
The festival also folded in the museum’s trademark science programming, from snowflake symmetry workshops to lessons on winter animal behavior. Educators offered sessions on topics such as Animals in Winter, Cold Science and Freezing Flora, along with a snake feeding demonstration that drew its usual curious crowd.
The museum keeps the magical momentum going with a lineup of December programs, including an astrophysics talk on Dec. 13, holiday celebrations on Christmas Eve, a winter-themed vacation week from Dec. 26–30 and its annual Noon Year’s Eve celebration on Dec. 31. Find the complete EcoTarium event schedule here.
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