NILES — Those who visit downtown Niles for the Hunter Ice Festival might describe seeing dozens of intricately carved ice sculptures as magical, but this year’s 14th annual festival will be especially so. With a “Harry Potter” theme, 32 tons of ice will be transformed into the mystic and beloved characters of the children’s book and movie series, penned by J.K. Rowling.

The festival will be hosted by the Niles DDA Main Street and will begin around 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19. A Fire and Ice ceremony between Front Street Pizza Pub and Wonderland Theater will follow at about 7:30 p.m. For the ceremony, a sculpture is set ablaze, helping to kick-start the three-day festival, which runs Jan. 19 to 21.

The festival is free and open to the public to attend. In addition to viewing more than 70 sculptures of ice, those who stroll Main Street can drink hot cocoa, savor Hunter Ice Cream and participate in a number of activities, such as ice ping pong, where the table is made entirely of ice. On Saturday, there will be a Bell’s beer tasting at 2 p.m. at Front Street Pizza Pub and throughout the day, people can watch sculptors carve the ice into art.

Lisa Croteau, the Niles Main Street Development Authority director said the event draws thousands of people across the Michiana area to explore downtown Niles. This year, between 10,000 to 15,000 people are expected to attend.

“It is always a fun thing to do,” Croteau said. “It brings people downtown and they have a good time in our city and that is always a good thing.”

New to the festival this year, sculptors will craft a slide of ice, which will be open for people of all ages. The slide will be located in St. Joseph Riverfront Park. The size of the slide will depend on how much money is raised to support its construction. People can donate to the slide or sponsor a sculptor by visiting uncoverniles.com and clicking the donate tab on the left-hand side of the page.

Creating ice sculptures that are interesting to look at and interactive is the goal, Croteau said.

“We will have a lot of interactive pieces, whether it is a photo opportunity or game,” she said.

Croteau praised the work of renowned local and national ice sculptors, who seek to create works of art that will remain frozen in viewer’s minds.

The festival is also an opportunity to showcase the downtown. Many businesses will be offering specials or serve as a warming center where people can take a break from the chill with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa.

This year, two new businesses who recently joined the downtown will open their doors to give people a sneak peek. The Lovely Nest, 217 E, Main St., will be open and debut their home décor items. Just down the block, On Base Productions, 227 E. Main St., a multi-media company, which is slated to open in February will offer people a chance to try out a photo booth and experiment with green screen technology.

Last year’s festival experienced some unusual temperatures for the January season, with temperatures in the 60s. Despite the sculptures not lasting as long, thousands of people still flocked to the festival, enjoying the unprecedented warm weather and taking in the sculptures while they lasted.

This year, Croteau said the forecast is calling for colder weather, which is expected to help keep the sculptures in top condition.

Croteau encouraged people to visit Niles’ equivalent to a winter wonderland.

“Everyone pitches in to make it a really great time to be in downtown,” Croteau said.

For a full schedule of events visit, uncoverniles.com/festivals-events/hunter-ice-festival.

What: 14th annual Hunter Ice Festival

Where: Downtown Niles

When: Multiple times, Jan. 19 to 21

Cost: Free

To donate: uncoverniles.com