Cedarburg's Winter Festival brings palm trees and ice sculptures together with a tropical theme

CEDARBURG, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Escape the cold this weekend -- sort of. Cedarburg’s annual Winter Festival is celebrating with a "Hawaii Five 3 Oh 1 2" event. The name is a nod to the show "Hawaii Five-0," Cedarburg’s zip code, 53012 and the 50th Winter Festival in the city.

“You’ll see palm trees probably being carved out of ice blocks,” said Patrick Curran, the executive director of Festivals of Cedarburg.

The event will have a bed race on the Cedar Creek River and a Luau with a fire breather, tiki drinks, Polynesian dancers, food and more.

You’ll also be able to crown one Cedarburg restaurant with the honor of best soup in 2025.

“Nine different restaurants in downtown Cedarburg submitted a soup,” said Curran. “Some of them go with the Hawaii theme.”

A $20 plate will get you a taste of all nine soups.

The event is an opportunity to visit businesses in town that may not get as much foot traffic this time of year.

“The end goal is to bring people into town during the slow season in hopes that — one, they continue to come back, but also, they support the businesses during a slow time until we get to Strawberry Festival Season."

Strawberry Festival brings in millions of people to visit Cedarburg. Organizers hope to showcase how charming the city is all year-round.

Cedarburg Winter Festival runs Saturday, Feb. 15 and Sunday, Feb 16.