Theme selection for the 2025 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival will be held at the Elks Lodge on 16 APR 2024! No new theme suggestions will be accepted.

Thanks for joining us at this year's Creepy Carnival! For more information on the selection of 2025's Winter Carnival theme, click here.

2025 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Dates - January 31st, 2025 - February 9th, 2025!!

Accepting King and Queen Nominations

SARANAC LAKE – The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee is currently seeking nominations from the public for the 2022 Winter Carnival king and queen.

The king and queen selection is based upon volunteerism within the community. Candidates should demonstrate a long-term and broad-based commitment to making life more livable, pleasant, and enjoyable – both for the people who live here and for those who visit. The volunteer activities can be organized or completely self-motivated. They can be as diverse as organizing a major community event or as seemingly minor as shoveling a neighbor’s sidewalk. The committee is seeking people who help others independently, not people who are in professions that help or care for others.

Each nomination should be submitted separately and must include the candidate’s volunteer services history. It is very important that the nominations are signed by the person submitting them. Nominations must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 18. Submissions should be mailed to the Winter Carnival Committee, Attention: King/Queen Nomination, P.O. Box 829, Saranac Lake, NY 12983. They can also be dropped off at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise (54 Broadway), or the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce (39 Main Street). No electronic nominations (e-mail) will be accepted. If you have questions about the nomination, please contact Cherie Racette at (518) 891-3598. Once the nominations have been collected, all past kings and queens are invited to an assembly which will select the new king and queen from the nominations. This meeting is on January 20th at a secret location.

The nominating materials are presented to the assembly exactly as they are received from the community. There is no pre-screening or editing that could influence the outcome. The assembled kings and queens are given a period of time to review the materials and then are called upon to vote. Final selection is by secret ballot and the king and queen are announced on the first day of Winter Carnival at the royalty coronation ceremony.

The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee, formally known as the Society for Promotion of Winter Carnival, Saranac Lake, Inc., is a not-for-profit 501(c)(4) organization of volunteers dedicated to planning and presenting an annual mid-winter festival. This 10-day, communitywide event traces its roots to a one-day Winter Carnival held in 1897 by the Pontiac Club. The Carnival honors its heritage every year by building an Ice Palace from blocks of ice harvested from Lake Flower’s Pontiac Bay, where carnival events have been traditionally held for generations. For more information, visit the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival website at www.saranaclakewintercarnival.com. The 2022 Winter Carnival will take place February 4 - February 13.