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‘Frost and Furious’

Time again to celebrate the annual Winter Carnival

By Bates College

February 12^th, 2026

Each winter at Bates, the community comes together not despite the winter but in celebration of all that it enables. In an events-packed week for Winter Carnival, students gather together in our cozy coffee shop, an energized Alumni Gym, and across campus with nordic ski races, cold plunges, and warm bonfires. Traditions like these capture the best of Bates — community forged in fun and friendship.

A Cappella groups performed in the Winter Carnival Concert on Feb. 4.

Grace Lafountain '26 and another student run in the annual Bates College event. Both wear tutus, sunglasses, and smile in the snowy landscape.

After Hours performs on stage, lit with red and blue lights. A saxophonist stands at left, with a guitarist, bassist, and singer with guitar behind.

A cappella concert

The Winter Carnival A Cappella Concert filled Gomes Chapel with layered harmonies and a crowd of students and faculty. The concert, which remains one of the most anticipated traditions of Carnival, featured the Deansmen (pictured here), the Manic Optimists, the Merimanders, Take Note, and the Crosstones.

A cappella group performs on stage at the Winter Carnival Concert. The group wears tuxedos and sings in front of a purple-lit backdrop.

An a cappella group performs at the Winter Carnival Concert. Singers in tuxedos stand on stage with microphones, bathed in blue light.

BMU-BOC performance

The BMU–BOC Winter Jam delivered a chill and cozy night of live performance against a backdrop of nature videos of Maine. Students filled The Ronj coffee shop to support friends and classmates playing covers, original songs, and reading spoken word poetry.

Students applaud a band performing in the Ronj. A screen shows a grizzly bear fishing. The room is crowded and warmly lit.

Three students gather at the Ronj. The student in the foreground has blonde hair in braids, and wears a blue shirt and turquoise earrings. The other students are smiling. — Before a playful background of fishing grizzly bears, students crowded the Ronj for an evening of music and poetry for the BMU/BOC Winter Jam on Feb. 3.

Students gather in the Ronj, some seated in chairs, others on the floor. One student holds up their phone, possibly taking a photo. Many smile and clap.

VCS Battle of the Bands

The Bates Village Club Series Student Showcase brought together student performers and creators for an evening of original work, collaboration, and community with their battle of the bands. Student bands Call Doug, Bored Walk, and The Roaches delivered high-energy sets that highlighted the diversity, creativity, and live music talent across campus.

Puddle Jump — bird's-eye view

Seen from above, Lake Andrews is ready to receive its annual horde of jumpers. The ice has been cut, the carpets have been laid for ease on and off the ice, and, to the far right, the bonfire awaits the delivery of the torch, lit at the State House in Augusta in the morning and literally run to campus. All this scene needs is a line of students in crazy costumes, and they are on the way.

Aerial view of Lake Andrew at Bates College covered in snow. People gather at a hole cut in the ice for the Puddle Jump.

Puddle Jump: The Video

Slowly, they jumped. Quickly, they emerged. Watch a video of this year's Puddle Jump by Multimedia Producer Theophil Syslo.

Two students stand smiling on Lake Andrews ice for the Bates College puddle jump. The man wears a Bates EMS jacket, and the woman wears a

Two students jump into a puddle on Lake Andrews during the Bates College puddle jump. The student on the right has a shocked expression and holds a camera. It is a cold, sunny day.

A student jumps into icy water during the Bates College puddle jump. She wears a green skirt and leggings, and her face shows shock. Other students stand nearby in winter clothes on a sunny day. — Students participate in the annual Bates College puddle jump on Lake Andrews this cold sunny february day in 2026.

A group of people warm themselves by a large bonfire in a snowy landscape. Some are wrapped in towels and wear bathing suits. One woman in a knit cap tests the ground with her bare foot.

Three women laugh as one holds a phone, presumably recording the

Two smiling people, wet from the Puddle Jump, pose together after jumping into the water. One wears a fish-patterned hat and holds a towel.

Two women, soaked and smiling, walk hand-in-hand from a frozen lake during a

Two smiling women pose in the snow after the Puddle Jump. One wears a blue floral shirt, the other a blue sports bra and a necklace that reads

A group of people stand outside, one wearing sunglasses and a

A photographer takes the plunge

Sammy Weidenthal ’27 of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, works as a student photographer for the Bates Communications and Marketing office. He was assigned to photograph the Puddle Jump for the second year in a row. This year, he also jumped.

“As the event unfolded, singular in the way only Bates traditions can be, I found myself debating whether to jump. I set my camera aside, still wearing my Carhartt overalls and L.L.Bean boots, and went for it. In that moment, hesitation turned into action; it clicked. Some experiences do not need a perfectly articulated reason; they are choices you make because they invite risk, because they ask you to show up, and because they place you inside the collective story of a community. Jumping was not just about the ice; it was about saying yes to being part of something legendary, something I know I will look back on as a moment when I chose connection over comfort.”

Winter Carnival Win for women's basketball

After the Puddle Jump, Alumni Gymnasium was packed to support Bates women’s basketball as they powered past Trinity 69–49, with 17 points from senior captain Elsa Daulerio of Auburn, Maine. Junior Sarah Hughes of Rumson, N.J., added a standout performance, opening with a 10-point effort and earning the second NESCAC Player of the Week award of her college career.

Bates women's basketball players celebrate a win, wearing white and maroon uniforms. One player shouts with joy, embracing a teammate.

Bates basketball player with ball looks up at the hoop, while Trinity player yells defensively. Crowd visible in background.

Footnotes

Produced by Bates Communications and Marketing with photography by Sammy Weidenthal ’27, Carly Philpott ’27, Phyllis Graber Jensen, and Theophil Syslo, and text by Ramona McNish ’28.

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FootNotes

Produced by Bates Communications and Marketing with photography by Sammy Weidenthal ’27, Carly Philpott ’27, Phyllis Graber Jensen, and Theophil Syslo, and text by Ramona McNish ’28.