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Thousands Pack St. Paul For Red Bull Crashed Ice

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- A jam-packed night of outdoor fun happened Saturday night in St. Paul.

Red Bull Crashed Ice brought tens of thousands of people to the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Full of twists and turns, the Red Bull Crashed Ice 1,200 foot course draws the most advanced ice cross downhill skaters in the world.

"It looks pretty awesome," Wade Handley said.

The city hopes the popular event will also give St. Paul a competitive edge.

"It's really exciting. I like all the lights and there's a lot of people here," Sarah Lien said.

Among thousands of spectators, many aren't familiar with the sport.

"They tell me it's like a mix between rugby, hockey and skiing. I don't know," Tim Seaburg said.

But they came for a good time, and there was plenty to see across St. Paul.

As the Winter Carnival wrapped up its final night with a torchlight parade and a rodeo at the Xcel Energy Center brought in a full crowd, the streets of downtown St. Paul filled up with fans.

"I'm sure it does a lot for the community and it's a good thing," Handley said.

The city says the last time Crashed Ice happened the same time as this many big events, the city earned an extra $20 million in revenue over one weekend.

Stats fitting a city working to earn a spot at the top of the list for entertainment.

In years past, as many as 100,000 people attended Crashed Ice.

An after-party scheduled to last until 1 a.m. is being held at West Seventh Street.

Teardown of the course, which took weeks to assemble, began immediately after the event's conclusion.

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