Ice Castles builder optimistic about future of Hawrelak Park palace

Plans to build a massive, glittering, Disney-esque ice castle in the centre of Hawrelak Park in Edmonton have been scrapped for now, but there’s still hope for next year.

Organizers with Edmonton’s Silver Skate Festival had planned to have the structure, designed by American company Ice Castles, up in time for this year’s event — but ran into unexpected delays when it came to city approvals.

Ice Castles co-founder Ryan Davis blamed poor communication for the delay, but is optimistic the frozen fortress will be up in time for next year’s festival.

If all goes according to plan, a crew from Ice Castles will arrive in Edmonton's Hawrelak Park next October to hand-build the palace, which will have a two-acre footprint, and light up at night.

Click through the gallery above to see some of the other icy structures the company has made.