Fire, Ice, and 200 years: Lowell’s WinterFest ignites bicentennial celebration

Fire, Ice, and 200 years: Lowell’s WinterFest ignites bicentennial celebration

LOWELL — Ice dripped, fire leapt, and Downtown Lowell felt less like a typical frigid, gray late‑February day and more like a city throwing itself a birthday party loud enough to wake all 200 years of its history. Crowds packed Merrimack, Middle, and Palmer streets for WinterFest starting in the early afternoon on Saturday, moving through sunshine and mild temperatures as they explored a festival footprint loaded with food trucks, fire art, ice …