LAVA HOT SPRINGS — Area residents will soon be able to plunge into the frigid Portneuf River and simmer in sizzling hot pools when the annual Fire & Ice Winterfest returns early next month.

Every year, attendees of the popular two-day festival brave the cold Idaho winter, donning a gamut of wild and colorful costumes and hitting the streets of Lava Hot Springs for an array of events like the nearly naked running of the bulls, the polar bear float, fire dancing and a stunning fireworks display.

What started as a small collection of kayakers and tubers hitting the icy waters of the Portneuf in the early weeks of February has ballooned into a large-scale celebration that draws thousands to the quaint streets of Lava Hot Springs.

This year, Fire & Ice Winterfest falls on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, kicking off with a beer tasting from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Eruption Brewing. The cost is $12 per person at the door.

A reception-style wine tasting will be held from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at a new venue, Beech Hollow Events Center, 9942 E. Highway 30. Registration includes up to four tastings from a selection of varietal wines and includes a commemorative wine glass and appetizers. Bottles will be available for purchase at the conclusion of the tasting.

Guests can pre-purchase a variety of bundle opportunities for the wine tasting, which includes early bird and VIP packages that include tickets to a live concert later in the evening.

Layne Bowen, an Idaho-born-and-raised musician who opened for rock group ZZ Top at the Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre in Pocatello last August, will conclude the evening’s revelries with a concert from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are $50 at the door.

Saturday’s events begin bright and early with the American Legion Waffle and Sausage Breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Lava Hot Springs Community Center, 150 N. Center St. Guests can kick-start their morning with waffles, sausage, eggs, juice and coffee. The cost for the breakfast will be announced at a later date.

The rambunctious fun starts at 10 a.m. at the Royal Hotel Pizzeria for the annual running of the bulls, where attendees will don their swimming suits, run wildly down Main Street and then end their journey by jumping into the State Foundation Pools. Lineup for participants starts at 9:30 a.m. Pre-purchased wristbands will be picked up and also sold the day of the event at the Blue Jay Inn. Cost is $5 per entry.

Area youth can get involved Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for the children’s water carnival at the Olympic Swimming Complex, 195 N. Center St., inside the Lava Hot Springs Indoor Aquatic Center. Guests will be able to enjoy games, prizes and aquatic fun. Children 12 and younger are invited to attend this event and must be accompanied by an adult.

The polar bear beer garden will be available for patrons from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., held across the street from Eruption Brewery and across the bridge in West Park. Pre-purchase tickets are available online.

Fire & Ice Winterfest guests can also enjoy the market fair and food trucks from noon to 7 p.m. at the Lava Hot Springs Community Center, 150 N. Center St., and can enjoy area vendors, food trucks and purchase Fire & Ice merchandise and tickets for most of the events.

The polar bear float will begin with the costume judging party from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at West Park near the Third Street East Bridge. Contestants must buy a polar bear float ticket to win prizes and are encouraged to wear their wackiest outfits.

Judging begins promptly at 1:45 p.m. Entry fee for the contest is included in the $15 tube rental fee, and attendees may bring their own tube and pay at the event to be in only the costume contest.

The zany and costumed legions will then take the plunge into the Portneuf River starting at 2 p.m. for a quarter-mile float to the community building. Tube pickup and waiver signing will be at West Pavilion, near the beer garden. Participants will need to bring an ID and sign a waiver to pick up the tube or take part in the costume contest.