Every year, the famous show "Holiday on Ice" goes on tour. With several million viewers by now, the show, which combines classical figure skating with modern performance elements, is the most successful and best-known ice show of all time.
The beginnings of "Holiday on Ice" lie in America in the 1940s. During the Christmas season of 1942 - the so-called "Holiday Season", which gives the show its name - the first performance takes place in a hotel in Toledo in the US state of Ohio. The mobile ice rink, which had just been invented, and the accompanying figure skating ensemble make a guest appearance there for one week. No one suspects at the time that the small hotel show "Holiday on Ice" will one day be famous worldwide.
But the ice show's fan community grows quickly. Thanks to the invention of transportable cold systems made of pipes and compressors, the performances can take place regardless of location: "Holiday on Ice" goes on tour - and tickets sell like hot cakes. The figure skaters conquer the entire USA in the course of the 1940s, followed by the leap across the Atlantic Ocean in 1950. After the premiere in Brussels, "Holiday on Ice" makes a name for itself throughout Europe within a year.
Success behind the Iron Curtain
In 1959, "Holiday on Ice" is even the first Western project to give an eight-week guest performance in the Soviet Union as part of the cultural exchange between East and West. The show is fully booked. A total of one million people attend the spectacle, including Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev. "Holiday on Ice" makes several more guest appearances behind the Iron Curtain in the following years, both in the Soviet Union and in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
The secret of "Holiday on Ice"
The fascination of "Holiday on Ice" remains unbroken to this day. There are several reasons why the show is so successful - first and foremost the impressive skills of the dancers on the ice. The best figure skaters in the world are regularly contracted to "Holiday on Ice". The performers rehearse up to nine hours a day in the run-up to the shows. They not only train on the ice, but also spend numerous hours in the dance studio. Here they study the complex choreographies until every little movement is perfect.
Another highlight of the "Holiday on Ice" shows: the background music. The growing list of famous artists who contribute songs to "Holiday on Ice" includes Phil Collins and Sarah Connor, for example. In addition, state-of-the-art light and sound technology provides spectacular effects and amazes the audience.
Of course, the extravagant costumes of the "Holiday on Ice" ensemble are unbeatable. More than 30,000 different outfits are already part of the show's history, including creations by fashion designers such as Harald Glööckler.
"Holiday on Ice": Around 80 years of show history
Every "Holiday on Ice" show is a spectacle. But for the anniversaries, the makers traditionally take the special effects up a notch - for the show's 75th birthday in 2018, for example, with 360-degree hologram effects, a huge LED screen and a moving train on the ice. This creativity seems far from exhausted and fans can look forward to many more fascinating ice shows with breathtaking choreography, songs and costumes!
"Holiday on Ice"
The biggest successes of "Holiday on Ice"
These Guinness World Records are held by the show "Holiday on Ice":
- 1988: "The most watched show of all time" with more than 250 million viewers
- 1994: "The longest kickline in the world"
- 2003: "The most popular live entertainment production in the world" with more than 300 million viewers
- 2008: "The longest rotating and human wheel on ice" with 65 skaters
- 2008: "The most watched show in the world" with 320 million viewers
Holiday on Ice: Frequently Asked Questions
When was the first Holiday on Ice show performed?
The Holiday on Ice show originated in the US state of Ohio. The first performance took place at Christmas 1942 in a hotel in Toledo. It wasn't long before the performance on ice had fans all over the world.
Which celebrities took part in "Holiday on Ice"
In addition to figure skating professionals such as Claudia Leistner, famous musicians also took part: Phil Collins and Sarah Connor, for example, have already contributed songs to "Holiday on Ice" shows.
How much water is needed to set up the ice rink?
As a rule, it takes 40,000 litres of water to set up the ice rink.
