So many people see winter as the season to stay inside, but the nine-day 2015 Camden Winterfest provides many great opportunities to get outside and have fun this winter season.

CAMDEN — People flock to Maine in the summer for vacations and in the fall for the foliage, but Winterfest proves that Camden is the place to be this winter. From the U.S National Toboggan Championships and inaugural sanctioned snow sculpture contest to the family movies and wine and beer tastings for adults, you won't regret a trip to Camden for this year’s Winterfest, Jan. 30 through Feb. 8.

Among the many available activities, attendees can visit the Camden Snow Bowl, which is one of the few ski and recreation areas in the east where you are ski down the mountain and overlook the Atlantic Ocean. The weekend of Feb. 6-8, the Snow Bowl will for the 25th year be home to the U.S. National Toboggan Championships, which has its own three-day schedule of events and activities along with a variety of downtown events after the races Saturday.

Camden's annual weeklong Winterfest celebration will prove again in 2015 that Camden is not only a summer destination, but among Maine's elite winter locales offering events for all ages. This unique series of winter events will bring thousands to Maine for a week of indoor and outdoor activities, from snow sculpting and tobogganing to freestyle skiing, dancing concerts and a film festival.

Camden Winterfest and 25th U.S. National Toboggan Championships Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 31 to Sunday, Feb. 1
• Maine's only Nationally Sanctioned Snow Sculpture Competition, Village Green
• CamJam Harborside Freestyle Ski Competition, Harbor Park
• Community Ice Carving, Camden Amphitheater and Library (Sunday only). Live music inside and out, hot food and kids' crafts.

Monday, Feb. 2
• Family Entertainment: Alex the Jester, Camden Opera House, 6 p.m.; tickets are general admission and available at the door and at Camden Public Library, Camden Town Office, Clean Bee Laundry and Graffam Brothers.

Tuesday, Feb. 3
• Family Entertainment: Movie sing-along with Anna, Elsa and Olaf, Camden Public Library, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 4
• Family Entertainment: Movie about a Jamaican bobsled team with winter Olympics aspirations, Camden Opera House, 7 p.m.; tickets are general admission and available at the door and at Camden Public Library, Camden Town Office, Clean Bee Laundry and Graffam Brothers.

Thursday, Feb. 5
• Concert: Red Molly, with openers David and the Lowdown, and Miners Creek, Camden Opera House, 7 p.m.; general admission tickets available here. and at HAV 2, Manny's, Camden Town Office, Clean Bee Laundry, and Sidecountry Sports and Grasshopper Shop in Rockland

Friday, Feb. 6
• 25th annual U.S National Toboggan Championships, Camden Snow Bowl, FMI:
• Down the Chute Beer & Wine Tasting, Snow Bowl, 3-7 p.m.
• Downtown Dance, Peter Ott's Restaurant, 8 p.m.
• BANFF Film Festival, Strom Auditorium (Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport), 7 p.m.
• Frost Heave Challenge, vote for your favorite winter-theme drink featured in Camden's bars all weekend. (Vote online: www.camdenwinterfest.com)

Saturday, Feb. 7
• 25th annual U.S National Toboggan Championships races continue, Camden Snow Bowl
• Toboggan Team Costume Contest, Camden Snow Bowl, noon
• Chili Challenge, Camden Snow Bowl, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Pond Hockey: Camden vs. Rockport, Hosmer Pond, Camden Snow Bowl
• Snow Plow Parade, Main Street, 5:30 p.m.
• Fireworks over Camden Harbor, Harbor Park and Public Landing, 6:15 p.m.
• BANFF Film Festival continues
• Frost Heave Challenge continues. (Vote online: www.camdenwinterfest.com)

Sunday, Feb. 8
• U.S. National Toboggan Championships races continue at the Camden Snow Bowl, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Pancake Breakfast, Camden Snow Bowl, 8-11 a.m.
• World Toboggan Championships Race, Camden Snow Bowl, 11:30 a.m. (approx.)
• Awards Ceremony, Camden Snow Bowl, 3 p.m. (approx.)

Camden Winterfest
Winterfest is the result of a collaboration between the Camden Snow Bowl, the U.S. National Toboggan Championships Organizing Committee, the Camden Public Library and the Camden Downtown Business Group. For more information about Camden's 2015 Winterfest, visit www.camdenwinterfest.com. U.S. National Toboggan Championships information can be found at www.camdensnowbowl.com.