Third Ward ice bars open today

Cold temperatures headed for Milwaukee this weekend is a promising forecast for an annual ice bar event kicking off tonight in the Historic Third Ward.

Three hand-sculpted ice bars will open to the public tonight at 5 p.m. outside Café Benelux, St. Paul Fish Company and The Wicked Hop, and will operate for as long as weather permits. 

Each bar will feature a signature theme and will donate a portion of its proceeds to a local charity, according to the event’s Facebook page. 

The frozen structures donning the corner of Broadway and St. Paul Avenue are collectively made of 150 blocks of ice, weighing 23 tons. They are constructed by Max Zuleta, a Guinness World Record holder and master carver at Franksville-based ice sculpture studio Art Below Zero. 

This is the third consecutive year for ice bars in the Third Ward. St. Paul Fish Company pioneered the idea in 2017, and Cafe Benelux and The Wicked Hop last year followed suit to host an inaugural winter-themed festival.