Grapevine, TX — ICE! at Gaylord Texan is Harry Potter this year, with the Hogwarts Express, Hogsmeade Station and the Great Hall carved from 2 million pounds of ice, plus two-story ice slides. It runs Nov. 13 to Jan. 3, and adult tickets were $34.32 to $50.32 with fees on Nov. 11, depending on the date and time slot.
What Is ICE! Featuring Harry Potter?
ICE! is Gaylord Hotels’ walk-through Christmas attraction: rooms of sculptures hand-carved from colorful ice, kept at 9 degrees, with guests in loaner parkas. Gaylord Texan’s 2026 edition is the first Harry Potter ICE!, and its page lists 10 scenes, from the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade, with Harry, Ron and Hermione carved in ice. The two-story ice slides sit inside towering spires and sculptures inspired by Hogwarts castle, and there’s a child-sized slide too.
Gaylord Texan says this year’s ICE! uses 6,700 blocks of ice in a 17,500-square-foot space, carved over six weeks by 40 artisans who travel more than 6,000 miles from Harbin, China. A few of them stay through the season to keep the sculptures in shape and to carve live for guests.
Tickets and Prices
ICE! tickets are timed and sold online only, at GaylordTexanTickets.com, with no box office at the resort. On Nov. 11, during Gaylord’s Merry Deal Days sale, which runs through Nov. 16, the ticket page showed these prices with fees included:
- Adults (12 and up): $34.32 to $50.32, depending on the date and time slot.
- Children 4 to 11: $24.32 to $40.32.
- Seniors (55 and up): $2 less than the adult price.
- Children 3 and under: free.
Opening day, Friday, Nov. 13, has time slots from 3 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. Central. Guests under 18 need a paid adult with them.
Gaylord Texan also sells three activity passes that bundle ICE! with the resort’s other Christmas activities:
- Silver Pass (save up to 20%): ICE!, ice tubing, a scavenger hunt, a Harry Potter cookie kit and Butterbeer.
- Gold Pass (save up to 30%): adds the Christmas Carousel and Snowball Build & Blast.
- Ultimate Holi-DAY Pass (save up to 40%): most of the resort’s activities and shows.
What to Know Before You Go
- Time inside: most guests spend 20 to 40 minutes, but there’s no time limit, and tickets are single entry.
- What to wear: Gaylord hands out calf-length, hooded parkas, and closed-toe shoes without heels are required on the slides. The pathways are carpeted.
- Hot chocolate: not included, but for sale.
- Parking: $30 a day to self-park or $50 for valet, plus tax, and day guests pay per entry.
- Photos: guests can take photos and video inside, though Gaylord Texan warns that the cold can affect phones and cameras.
ICE! at Seven Other Resorts
ICE! started at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville in 2001, and for 2026 it’s at eight Gaylord and JW Marriott resorts, each carving a different holiday movie. Gaylord Opryland’s “Home Alone” opened Nov. 6, Gaylord Palms near Orlando carves The Polar Express from Nov. 13, and Gaylord Rockies outside Denver carves The Nightmare Before Christmas from Nov. 20. I’ve been to ICE! at Gaylord Palms, and my guide to all eight resorts has every theme, date and price, plus my 2017 interview on how the ice is made.
More ICE! and Christmas Guides
- Gaylord ICE! 2026 at all eight resorts, with every theme, date and price.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas in ice at Gaylord Rockies.
- Theme park Christmas 2026, every major park’s holiday event by date.
Tickets and passes are on Gaylord Texan’s ICE! page.
