Thank you for helping make Frozen Assets a week to remember!
Thank you for helping make the 2025 Frozen Assets Festival and 5K Run, Walk, and Skate one of the best ever! Throughout the week, Frozen Assets not only brought the community together, but it also educated people and raised awareness for our number one asset – the lakes!
Since 2012, Frozen Assets has raised more than $1,400,000 for lake improvement projects, educational programs, and water quality monitoring. Thank you to our Hosting Sponsor The Edgewater, and our other sponsors for making this community event possible. We’d also like to thank the dozens of volunteers who helped make Frozen Assets a success!
The changing climate and changing winter weather has meant we are thinking about runoff control and lake protection year round. Now more than ever, Clean Lakes Alliance needs YOUR help to keep our waters clean and healthy. Donate to join the alliance today and make a difference for our lakes.
Check out some fun Frozen Assets highlights:
World-class event begins week
We kicked off the week with a sold out Opening Ceremony and Reception highlighting the Ice and Snow Sailing World Championships taking place on Lake Mendota. The event brought lake enthusiasts together to celebrate our community’s biggest asset – the lakes!
Winter warmup
We started the Frozen Assets Festival with a Winter Warmup led by barre3. This workout got our blood pumping and warmed our bodies before the Frozen Assets 5K on Lake Mendota.
Frozen Assets 5K Run, Walk…and Skate !
With no snow on the lake this year, Clean Lakes Alliance was able to add a skating category to the annual Frozen Assets 5K Run/Walk, with Presenting Sponsor Associated Bank. Close to 800 participants ran, walked, and glided across North America’s only 5K held entirely on a frozen lake! Funds raised will stay in our community to benefit our local lakes. See race results. Special thanks to Wisconsin Distributors for providing a free beer for our participants and to Lands’ End for providing the super-soft event t-shirts.
Snow Snake Contest
We were lucky enough to host our first-ever Snow Snake Contest in partnership with Ho-Chunk Nation. It was a fun introduction to the ancient and culturally significant game played throughout Indigenous history.
Science of ice
Scientists from the UW Center for Limnology, UW Physics, and IceCube gave folks at the Frozen Assets Festival hands-on demonstrations that explained more about our lakes in the winter.
Clean Lakes 101 family-friendly event
A special, family-friendly edition of Clean Lakes 101 featured a scientist from the Wisconsin DNR who discussed how animals adapt to life below the lake ice during the winter months.
Dancing, skating, and more!
Performances by Central Midwest Ballet and Figure Skating Club of Madison dazzled audiences, while kids had an opportunity to make crafts, watch movies, hear stories from Madison Public Library, meet Bucky Badger, and see Mad Science demonstrations in the Grand Ballroom. Kids of all ages enjoyed gallons of free hot chocolate, too!
See more highlights from this year’s festival.
Thank you to our 2025 sponsors!
